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ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN 

OR 

THE MAIDEN OF THE MIST 

IN TWO VOLUMES 

VOL. 

By SIR WALTER SCOTT, Bart. 

h 

Entrolmctorg lEssag au& Notes 
By ANDREW LANG 




WITH ILLUSTRATIONS 


BOSTON 

ESTES AND LAURIAT 

1894 


5 > ' 





EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION 


TO 

ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 

With “The Fair Maid of Perth ” we take farewell 
of Scott at his best, though “ even from the stubble 
one may tell what the grain has been.” “Anne of 
Geierstein ” was no favourite of the author’s, and, as 
Mr. Matthew Arnold says, the world does not contem- 
plate with pleasure what the poet creates without joy. 
The novel was begun in the late summer or autumn of 
1828, but for part of the time Scott neglected his Diary. 
He was become (June 19) “a writing automaton,” and 
suffered much pain from rheumatism and rheumatic head- 
aches. He feared that this affected “the quality of the 
stuff,” but he was not one who “waited for the spark 
from heaven to fall. ” He plodded on, in these late years, 
invita Minerva. Of old the goddess had generally been 
willing ; but now his task took the likeness of journal- 
ism, the round had to be trodden, be he well or be he 
ill. Masterpieces are not written thus : it is the moral 
effort that we admire, and the contempt for fame, even 
for art, compared with the respect for duty. Scott 
believed in his duty and in his power of will, but 
imagination will not obey a moral dictate. We find 
Ballantyne “complaining of his manuscript”: the 
wearied hand no longer wrote legibly, despite the 
mechanical supports which he used. “I cannot trace 
my pieds de mouche but with great labour and trouble ” 
(June 22). He “ wrought and endured,” afflicted by a 


X 


EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION TO 


hypochondriacal melancholy : “it may be chased away 
by study or by exercise. ” He is nobly master of his 
fate, in every event. In July we find him “ beginning 
Simond’s i Switzerland , 7 77 in search of local colour, for 
he did not know Switzerland, nor even the Rhine. 
His description of a storm in the mountains is, in the 
circumstances, wonderfully accurate. He simply drew 
the hills above Loch Skene on a grander scale. Mor- 
ritt and Sir James Stuart of Allanbank, who were well 
acqiiainted with the scenes, were “surprised at the 
felicity with which he divined its character, and outdid, 
by the force of imagination, all the efforts of a thousand 
actual tourists.” Their praise much encouraged Sir 
Walter (Lockhart, ix. 279). Ballantyne “bored and 
bothered me with his criticisms,” he said, for he did not 
prefend to be a geologist, and to describe the formation 
of the rocks. In January he “ muzzed on” — I can 
call it little better — with “Anne of Geierstein.” The 
“ materials are excellent, but the power of using them 
is failing.” In February (1829) he was better “ pleased 
with his work.” The reason why he was better pleased 
may perhaps be gathered from his Journal (Feb. 17) : 
“ I called on Skene, and borrowed a volume of his jour- 
nal to get some information about Burgundy and 
Provence. Something may be made out of King Rene, 
but I wish I had thought of him sooner.” This is 
elucidated by a note of Mr. Skene’s: “Sir Walter 
wished to see a paper which 'I had some time before 
contributed to the Memoirs of the Society of Antiqua- 
ries on the subject of the secret tribunals of Germany, 
and upon which, accordingly, he grounded his scene in 
the novel.” Mr. Skene now suggested the introduc- 
tion of King Rene of Provence, as he himself could 
give topographical details. “He liked the idea much 
. . . and the whole denouement of the story was changed, 
and the Provence part woven into it, in the form in 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


xi 


which it ultimately came forth ” (Journal, ii. 235, 
note). On March 8 “ Cadell totally condemns ‘Anne 
of Geierstein ’ . . . great dishonour in this, as Trinculo 
says, besides an infinite loss. Yet worse has succeeded, 
but it was while the fashion of the thing was fresh. I 
retrenched a good deal about the Troubadours, which 
was really hors de place” (April 14). After some weeks 
of work and reflection, he came to the conclusion that 
more pains would not serve his turn. Inspiration came 
at once, if it came at all, and now his “ braes and burn- 
sides ” were ceasing to inspire him. “ I don’t know why 
or wherefore, but I hate ‘Anne’” (April 27). “The 
story will end, and shall end, because it must end, and 
so here goes.” He finished “Anne of Geierstein” 
on April 29, and began an historical work for Dr. Lardner 
on the same day. He had been writing reviews and 
other trifles all the time. “Were necessity out of 
the question, I would take the same literary labour 
from choice — something more leisurely, though.” 

The book was published in the middle of May, and 
was very popular in Switzerland. Lockhart praises 
“occasional outbursts of the old poetic spirit,” as in 
the Alpine storm, the wild climb of Arthur, the duel, 
the noble picture of the battle of Granson. No one 
else then writing in England could have matched these 
passages. Lockhart especially admired the sympathy 
with which an old and weary man “ depicts the feelings 
of youth with all their original glow and purity.” 
“He was always living over again in his children, 
young at heart whenever he looked on them, and the 
world that was opening on them and their friends. But, 
above all, he had a firm belief in the future reunion of 
those whom death had parted.” 

The novel is unlucky, perhaps, in the period chosen, 
which is not sufficiently familiar to most readers. 
The forlorn cause of the House of Lancaster now affects 


xii 


EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION TO 


us very little, and the passion of Margaret of Anjou is 
remote — it cannot stir us like the last view of the 
King, in “ Redgauntlet. ” The mechanism of the 
volume does suggest the favourite topics of Mrs. 
Radcliffe, and the mysterious appearances and disap- 
pearances of the heroine need a more plausible explana- 
tion than they receive. The prophecy turning on the 
drawing of the Bow is rather dropped out of sight, and 
the magic scenes connected with the opal and the mys- 
terious bride suffer from being explained away. The 
miracle is more easy of belief than the explanation. 
Though Charles the Bold is painted with power in his 
pride and in his fall, he does not interest us like Louis 
XI. or James VI., either in this novel or in “Quentin 
Durward.” It is probable enough that Scott, in his 
intended continuation of “Quentin Durward, ” had this 
very period in his eye : perhaps we need not regret 
that, with failing powers, he left Quentin out of the 
tale. His place is filled by the good dull Sigismund, 
who always warms up into a kind of brilliance when 
action is to he taken or described. The hero and 
heroine do not differ much from Scott’s usual characters, 
in similar romantic circumstances, hut Anne has less 
of originality and charm, of course, than the women of 
his earlier novels. The story, even on the least favour- 
able estimate, is a rapid novel of adventure : incident 
follows incident, and, as a modern critic says, “the 
novel of character is one we often take up, the novel of 
incident is one we cannot lay down ; 99 if it be written 
with the spirit of Scott, or of Dumas. That friendly 
master of romance was just about to take up the pen 
which fell from the fingers of Sir Walter — 

Uno avulso non deficit alter. 

Scott’s imitators, in his lifetime, produced little or 
nothing of merit : he was, however, to leave successors, 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


xiii 


the author of “ Yingt Ans Apres ” first and greatest ; 
the author of “ Esmond” ; the author, we may surely 
add, of “The Master of Ballantrae.” Much as these 
differ from Scott, both in quantity and quality of genius, 
in method, in style, they are all “sealed of his tribe,” 
like the spiritual children of Ben Jonson. Scott is he 

Without whose life they had not been, 

and thus his example has borne, and still bears, new 
fruit in the most innocent of intellectual pleasures. 
For a later generation Scott has done what the romances 
and the epics did for chivalry, and fairy-tales for all 
the world. In an unexpected place, the Memoirs of 
Dr. Adam Clarke, we find a tribute to old romance and 
fairy-tale. Had he not read these in boyhood, the 
learned and excellent Doctor declares, his religion 
would have lacked imagination, and his character the 
courage which he displayed in face of many dangers. 
Examples of lofty fancy, of chivalrous courage, all that 
can attract and inspire youth, all that makes against 
moody despair, and stolid commonplace, and creep- 
ing prose, Scott gives, even in this late work, and 
he enlightens all with humour, as in his admirable 
description of the despotic German innkeeper, before 
whom the Earl of Oxford has to lower his bonnet. While 
youth is youth, and men have yet a smack of it, we can 
be happy with Arthur Philipson in his duel, with 
Sigismund in the fight, with the cheery maid of Anne 
of Geierstein, and her honest ideas of love on first prin- 
ciples, with that royal philosopher King Rene, with the 
sagacious loyalty of Oxford, and the manly patriotism of 
the peasant noble. That the conclusion is entangled, 
and the knots rather broken than disengaged, is no 
unusual fault in Scott : it haunted his works from the 
beginning. Considering his health, his absence, in this 
tale, from scenes familiar to him, and times familiar to 


XIV 


EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION. 


his readers, the novel is remarkable for its interest. 
What success and merit it possesses are mainly due, 
however, to a determined effort of the will, not to 
a delighted and conscious inspiration. In his last 
essays, though the will was indomitable, the mate- 
rial machinery of the brain was shattered, and we can 
only criticise them as psychological examples of un- 
conquered courage. He had to see James Ballantyne, 
broken by his wife’s death, and “ squandering his 
thoughts and senses upon dowdy metaphysics, and 
abstruse theology.” It was better for Scott to work 
on, and die at his task, at the labour of a life which 
would not be complete, would not offer the same in- 
vigorating spectacle, had he thrown his pen away 
and confessed himself defeated. 

The historical sources of “Anne of Geierstein” are 
explained in Scott’s own Introduction and Notes. All 
the later part of the novel follows the narrative of 
Commines closely, save for certain dramatic liberties, 
as we shall point out in our additional annotations. 


May 1894. 


Andrew Lang. 


INTRODUCTION 


TO 

ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 

This novel was written at a time when circumstances 
did not place within my reach the stores of a library 
tolerably rich in historical works, and especially the 
memoirs of the Middle Ages, amidst which I had been 
accustomed to pursue the composition of my fictitious 
narratives. In other words, it was chiefly the work 
of leisure hours in Edinburgh, not of quiet mornings 
in the country. In consequence of trusting to a 
memory, strongly tenacious certainly, but not less 
capricious in its efforts, I have to confess on this 
occasion more violations of accuracy in historical de- 
tails, than can perhaps be alleged against others of 
my novels. In truth, often as I have been compli- 
mented on the strength of my memory, I have through 
life been entitled to adopt old Beattie of Meikledale’s 
answer to his parish minister when eulogising him 
with respect to the same faculty. “No, doctor / ’ said 
the honest border-laird, “I have no command of my 
memory ; it only retains what happens to hit my fancy, 
and like enough, sir, if you were to preach to me for a 
couple of hours on end, I might he unable at the close 
of the discourse to remember one word of it.” Per- 
haps there are few men whose memory serves them 
with equal fidelity as to many different classes of sub- 
jects; but I am sorry to say, that while mine has 
rarely failed me as to any snatch of verse or trait of 


XVI 


INTRODUCTION TO 


character that had once interested my fancy, it has 
generally been a frail support, not only as to names, 
and dates, and other minute technicalities of history, 
hut as to many more important things. . 

I hope this apology will suffice for one mistake which 
has been pointed out to me by the descendant of one of 
the persons introduced in this story, and who complains 
with reason that I have made a peasant deputy of the 
ancestor of a distinguished and noble family, none of 
whom ever declined from the high rank, to which, as 
far as my pen trenched on it, I now beg leave to restore 
them. The name of the person who figures as deputy 
of Soleure in these pages, was always, it seems, as it is 
now, that of a patrician house. I am reminded by the 
same correspondent of another slip, probably of less 
consequence. The Emperor of the days my novel 
refers to, though the representative of that Leopold 
who fell in the great battle of Sempach, never set up 
any pretensions against the liberties of the gallant 
Swiss, but, on the contrary, treated with uniform 
prudence and forbearance such of that nation as had 
established their independence, and with wise, as well 
as generous kindness, others who still continued to 
acknowledge fealty to the imperial crown. Errors 
of this sort, however trivial, ought never, in my 
opinion, to be pointed out to an author, without meet- 
ing with a candid and respectful acknowledgment. 

With regard to a general subject of great curiosity 
and interest, in the eyes at least of all antiquarian 
students, upon which I have touched at some length 
in this narrative, I mean the Vehmic tribunals of West- 
phalia, a name so awful in men’s ears during many 
centuries, and which, through the genius of Goethe, 
has again been revived in public fancy with a full 
share of its ancient terrors, I am bound to state my 
opinion that a wholly new and most important light 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


xvii 


has been thrown upon this matter since Anne of Geier- 
stein first appeared, by the elaborate researches of my 
ingenious friend, Mr. Francis Pal grave, whose proof- 
sheets, containing the passages I allude to, have been 
kindly forwarded to me, and whose complete work will 
be before the public ere this Introduction can pass 
through the press. 

“In Germany,” says this very learned writer, “there 
existed a singular jurisdiction, which claimed a direct 
descent from the Pagan •policy and mystic ritual of 
the earliest Teutons. 

“We learn from the Historians of Saxony, that the 
•Frey Feld gericht,’ or Free Field Court of Corbey, 
was, in Pagan times, under the supremacy of the 
Priests of the Eresburgh, the Temple which contained 
the Irminsule, or pillar of Irmin. After the conversion 
of the people, the possessions of the temple were con- 
ferred by Louis the Pious upon the Abbey which arose 
upon its site. The court was composed of sixteen 
persons, who held their offices for life. The senior 
member presided as the Gerefa or Graff; the junior 
performed the humbler duties of ‘Frohner,’ or sum- 
moner; the remaining fourteen acted as the Echevins, 
and by them all judgments were pronounced or de- 
clared. When any one of these died, a new member was 
elected by the Priests, from amongst the twenty-two 
septs or families inhabiting the Gau or district, and 
who included all the hereditary occupants of the soil. 
Afterwards, the selection was made by the Monks, 
but always with the assent of the Graff and of the 
‘ Frohner.’ 

“The seat of judgment, the King’s seat, or ‘Konigs- 
stuhl,’ was always established on the greensward; and 
we collect from the context, that the tribunal was also 
raised or appointed in the common fields of the Gau, 
for the purpose of deciding disputes relating to the 
b 


V 


xviii INTRODUCTION TO 

land within its precinct. Such a ‘ King’s seat y was 
a plot sixteen feet in length, and sixteen feet in 
breadth; and when the ground was first consecrated, 
the Frohner dug a grave in the centre, into which each 
of the Free Echevins threw a handful of ashes, a coal, 
and a tile. If any doubt arose whether a place of 
judgment had been duly hallowed, the Judges sought 
for the tokens. If they were not found, then all the 
judgments which had been given became null and 
void. It was also of the very essence of the Court, 
that it should be held beneath the sky, and by the 
light of the sun. All the ancient Teutonic judicial 
assemblies were held in the open air; but some relics 
of solar worship may perhaps be traced in the usage 
and in the language of this tribunal. The forms 
adopted in the Free Field Court also betray a singular 
affinity to the doctrines of the British Bards respecting 
their Gorseddau, or Conventions, which were ( always 
held in the open air, in the eye of the light, and in 
face of the sun/ 1 

“ When a criminal was to be judged, or a cause to 
be decided, the Graff and the Free Echevins assembled 
around the ( Konigs-stuhl ; ’ and the c Frohner,’ having 
proclaimed silence, opened the proceedings by reciting 
the following rhymes : 

“ Sir Graff, with permission, 

1 beg you to say, 

According to law, and without delay. 

If I, your Knave, 

Who judgment crave, 

With your good grace. 

Upon the King’s seat this seat may place. 

“ To this address the Graff replied: 

1 Owen Pugh’s Elegies of Lewarch Hen, Pref., p. 46. The 
place of these meetings was set apart by forming a circle of stones 
round the Maen Gorsedd, or Stone of the Gorsedd. 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


xix 


" While the sun shines with even light 
Upon Masters and Knaves, I shall declare 
The law of might, according to right. 

Place the King’s seat true and square, 

Let even measure, for justice’ sake. 

Be given in sight of God and man, 

That the plaintiff his complaint may make, 

And the defendant answer, — if he can. 

“In conformity to this permission, the ‘Frohner* 
placed the seat of judgment in the middle of the plot, 
and then he spake for the second time: 

“ Sir Graff, Master brave, 

I remind you of your honour, here, 

And moreover that I am your Knave ; 

Tell me, therefore, for law sincere, 

If these mete-wands are even and sure, 

Fit for the rich and fit for the poor, 

Both to measure land and condition ; 

Tell me as you would eschew perdition. 

And so speaking, he laid the mete-wand on the ground. 
The Graff then began to try the measure, by placing 
his right foot against the wand, and he was followed 
by the other Free Echevins in rank and order, accord- 
ing to seniority. The length of the mete-wand being 
thus proved, the Frohner spake for the third time : 

" Sir Graff, I ask by permission, 

If I with your mete-wand may mete 
Openly, and without displeasure, 

Here the king’s free judgment seat. 

“And the Graff replied: 

“ I permit right, 

And I forbid wrong, 

Under the pains and penalties 
That to the old known laws belong. 

“Now was the time of measuring the mystic plot; 
it was measured by the mete-wand along and athwart, 


XX 


INTRODUCTION TO 


and when the dimensions were found to be true, the 
Graff placed himself in the seat of judgment, and gave 
the charge to the assembled Free Echevins, warning 
them to pronounce judgment, according to right and 
justice. 

“ On this day, with common consent, 

And under the clear firmament, 

A free field court is established here, 

In the open eye of day ; 

Enter soberly, ye who may. 

The seat in its place is pight, 

The mete-wand is found to be right ; 

Declare your judgments without delay : 

And let the doom be truly given, 

Whilst yet the Sun shines bright in heaven. 

“ Judgment was given by the Free Echevins accord- 
ing to plurality of voices.” 

After observing that the author of Anne of Geier- 
stein had, by what he calls a “very excusable poetical 
licence,” transferred something of these judicial rhymes 
from the Free Field Court of the Abbey of Corbey, to 
the Free Vehmic Tribunals of Westphalia, Mr. Pal- 
grave proceeds to correct many vulgar errors, in which 
the novel he remarks on no doubt had shared, with 
respect to the actual constitution of those last named 
courts. “The protocols of their proceedings,” he 
says, “do not altogether realise the popular idea of 
their terrors and tyranny.” It may be allowed to me 
to question whether the mere protocols of such tribu- 
nals are quite enough to annul all the import of 
tradition respecting them ; but in the following details 
there is no doubt much that will instruct the antiquary, 
as well as amuse the popular reader. 

“The Court,” says Mr. Pal grave, “was held with 
known and notorious publicity beneath the ‘eye of 
light;’ and the sentences, though speedy and severe, 
were founded upon a regular system of established 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


xxi 


jurisprudence, not so strange, even to England, as it 
may at first sight appear. 

“ Westphalia, according to its ancient constitution, 
was divided into districts called ‘ Freygraffschafften, ’ 
each of which usually contained one, and sometimes 
many, Vehmic tribunals, whose boundaries were accu- 
rately defined. The right of the ‘ Stuhlherr, ’ or Lord, 
was of a feudal nature, and could he transferred by the 
ordinary modes of alienation; and if the Lord did not 
choose to act in his own person, he nominated a 
‘ Frei graft ’ to execute the office in his stead. The 
Court itself was composed of ‘ Freyschoppfen,’ Scabini, 
or Echevins, nominated by the Graff, and who were 
divided into two classes: the ordinary, and the 1 Wis- 
senden 7 or 1 Witan,’ who were admitted under a strict 
and singular bond of secrecy. 

“The initiation of these, the participators in all the 
mysteries of the tribunal, could only take place upon 
the ‘ red earth,’ or within the limits of the ancient 
Duchy of Westphalia. Bareheaded and ungirt, the 
candidate is conducted before the dread tribunal. He 
is interrogated as to his qualifications, or rather as to 
the absence of any disqualification. He must be free 
born, a Teuton, and clear of any accusation cognisable 
by the tribunal of which he is to become a member. — 
If the answers are satisfactory, he then takes the oath, 
swearing by the Holy Law, that he will conceal the 
secrets of the Holy Vehme from wife and child — from 
father and mother — from sister and brother — from 
fire and water — from every creature upon which the 
sun shines, or upon which the rain falls — from every 
being between earth and heaven. 

“Another clause relates to his active duties. He 
further swears, that he will ‘ say forth’ to the tribunal 
all crimes or offences which fall beneath the secret ban 
of the Emperor, which he knows to be true, or which 


xxii 


INTRODUCTION TO 


he has heard from trustworthy report; and that he will 
not forbear to do so, for love nor for loathing, for gold 
nor for silver nor precious stones. — This oath being 
imposed upon him, the new Freischopff was then 
intrusted with the secrets of the Yehmic tribunal. He 
received the password, by which he was to know his 
fellows, and the grip or sign by which they recognised 
each other in silence; and he was warned of the 
terrible punishment awaiting the perjured brother. — If 
he discloses the secrets of the Court, he is to expect 
that he will he suddenly seized by the ministers of 
vengeance. His eyes are bound, he is cast down on 
the soil, his tongue is torn out through the back of his 
neck — and he is then to be hanged seven times higher 
than any other criminal. And whether restrained by 
the fear of punishment, or by the stronger ties of 
mystery, no instance was ever known of any violation 
of the secrets of the tribunal. 

“ Thus connected by an invisible bond, the members 
of the * Holy Yehme’ became extremely numerous. In 
the fourteenth century, the league contained upwards 
of one hundred thousand members. Persons of every 
rank sought to be associated to this powerful commu- 
nity, and to participate in the immunities which the 
brethren possessed. Princes were eager to allow their 
ministers to become the members of this mysterious 
and holy alliance ; and the cities of the Empire were 
equally anxious to enrol their magistrates in the 
Vehmic union. 

“The supreme government of the Yehmic tribunals 
was vested in the great or general Chapter, composed 
of the Freegraves and all the other initiated members, 
high and low. Over this assembly the Emperor might 
preside in person, but more usually by his deputy, the 
Stadtholder of the ancient Duchy of Westphalia; an 
office, which, after the fall of Henry the Lion, Duke 


i 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. xxiii 

of Brunswick, was annexed to the Archbishopric of 
Cologne. 

u Before the general Chapter, all the members were 
liable to account for their acts. And it appears that 
the i Freegraves ’ reported the proceedings which had 
taken place within their jurisdictions in the course of 
the year. Unworthy members w r ere expelled, or sus- 
tained a severer punishment. Statutes, or ‘Reforma- 
tions,’ as they were called, were here enacted for the 
regulation of the Courts, and the amendment of any 
abuses; and new and unforeseen cases, for which the 
existing laws did not provide a remedy, received their 
determination in the Yehmic Parliament. 

“As the Echevins were of two classes, uninitiated 
and initiated, so the Yehmic Courts had also a twofold 
character; the 1 Offenbare Ding’ was an Open Court 
or Folkmoot ; but the ‘ Heimliche Acht ’ was the far- 
famed Secret Tribunal. 

“The first was held three times in each year. 
According to the ancient Teutonic usage, it usually 
assembled on Tuesday, anciently called 1 Dingstag, ’ 
or court-day, as well as ‘ Diensttag , 9 or serving-day, the 
first open or working day after the two great weekly 
festivals of Sun-day and Moon-day. Here all the 
householders of the district, whether free or bond, 
attended as suitors. The ‘ Offenbare Ding 9 exercised 
a civil jurisdiction; and in this Folkmoot appeared 
any complainant or appellant who sought to obtain the 
aid of the Yehmic tribunal, in those cases when it did 
not possess that summary jurisdiction from which it 
has obtained such fearful celebrity. Here also the 
suitors of the district made presentments or ‘ wroge,’ 
as they are termed, of any offences committed within 
their knowledge, and which were to be punished by 
the Graff and Echevins. 

“The criminal jurisdiction of the Yehmic Tribunal 


XXIV 


INTRODUCTION TO 


took the widest range. The ‘ Vehme ’ could punish 
mere slander and contumely. Any violation of the 
Ten Commandments was to be restrained by the 
Echevins. Secret crimes, not to he proved by the or- 
dinary testimony of witnesses, such as magic, witch- 
craft, and poison, were particularly to be restrained by 
the Vehmic Judges; and they sometimes designated 
their jurisdiction as comprehending every offence 
against the honour of man or the precepts of religion. 
Such a definition, if definition it can be called, evi- 
dently allowed them to bring every action of which an 
individual might complain, within the scope of their 
tribunals. The forcible usurpation of land became an 
offence against the ‘VehmeJ And if the property of 
an humble individual was occupied by the proud 
Burghers of the Hanse, the power of the Defendants 
might afford a reasonable excuse for the interference 
of the Vehmic power. 

“The Echevins, as Conservators of the Ban of the 
Empire, were bound to make constant circuits within 
their districts, by night and by day. If they could 
apprehend a thief, a murderer, or the perpetrator of 
any other heinous crime in possession of the ‘ mainour,’ 
or in the very act — or if his own mouth confessed the 
deed, they hung him upon the next tree. But to ren- 
der this execution legal, the following requisites were 
necessary : fresh suit, or the apprehension and execution 
of the offender before daybreak or nightfall; — the 
visible evidence of the crime; — and lastly, that three 
Echevins, at least, should seize the offender, testify 
against him, and judge of the recent deed. 

“If, without any certain accuser, and without the 
indication of crime, an individual was strongly and 
vehemently suspected; or when the nature of the 
offence was such as that its proof could only rest upon 
opinion and presumption, the offender then became 


ANNE OF GEIERSTE1N. 


XXV 


subject to what the German jurists term the inquisi- 
torial proceeding; it became the duty of the Echevin 
to denounce the ‘ Leumund/ or manifest evil fame, to 
the secret tribunal. If the Echevins and the Freygraff 
were satisfied with the presentment, either from their 
own knowledge, or from the information of their com- 
peer, the offender was said to be ‘verfambt; 5 — his 
life was forfeited; and wherever he was found by the 
brethren of the tribunal, they executed him without 
the slightest delay or mercy. An offender who had 
escaped from the Echevins was liable to the same 
punishment; and such also was the doom of the party 
who, after having been summoned pursuant to an 
appeal preferred in open court, made default in appear- 
ing. But one of the ‘ Wissenden J was in no respect 
liable to the summary process, or to the inquisitorial 
proceeding, unless he had revealed the secrets of the 
Court. He was presumed to be a true man; and if 
accused upon vehement suspicion, or ‘Leumund/ the 
same presumption or evil repute which was fatal to 
the uninitiated might be entirely rebutted by the com- 
purgatory oath of the free Echevin. If a party, 
accused by appeal, did not shun investigation, he 
appeared in the open court, and defended himself 
according to the ordinary rules of law. If he absconded, 
or if the evidence or presumptions were against him, 
the accusation then came before the Judges of the 
Secret Court, who pronounced the doom. The accusa- 
torial process, as it was termed, w*as also, in many 
cases, brought in the first instance before the ‘ Heim- 
liche AchtJ Proceeding upon the examination of 
witnesses, it possessed no peculiar character, and its 
forms were those of the ordinary courts of justice. It 
was only in this manner that one of the ‘ Wissenden/ 
or Witan, could be tried; and the privilege of being 
exempted from the summary process, or from the effects 


xxvi 


INTRODUCTION TO 


of the ‘Leumund,’ appears to have been one of the 
reasons which induced so many of those who did not 
tread the ‘red earth’ to seek to be included in the 
Vehmic bond. 

“There was no mystery in the assembly of the 
Heimliche Acht. Under the oak, or under the lime- 
tree, the Judges assembled, in broad daylight, and 
before the eye of heaven; but the tribunal derived its 
name from the precautions which were taken, for the 
purpose of preventing any disclosure of its proceed- 
ings which might enable the offender to escape the 
vengeance of the Vehme. Hence, the fearful oath 
of secrecy which bound the Echevins. And if any 
stranger was found present in the Court, the unlucky 
intruder instantly forfeited his life as a punishment 
for his temerity. If the presentment or denunciation 
did chance to become known to the offender, the law 
allowed him a right of appeal. But the permission 
was of very little utility, it was a profitless boon, for 
the Vehmic Judges always laboured to conceal the 
judgment from the hapless criminal, who seldom was 
aware of his sentence until his neck was encircled by 
the halter. 

“Charlemagne, according to the traditions of West- 
phalia, was the founder of the Vehmic tribunal; and 
it was supposed that he instituted the Court for the 
purpose of coercing the Saxons, ever ready to relapse 
into the idolatry from which they had been reclaimed, 
not by persuasion, but by the sword. This opinion, 
however, is not confirmed either by documentary evi- 
dence or by contemporary historians. And if we 
examine the proceedings of the Vehmic tribunal, we 
shall see that, in principle, it differs in no essential 
character from the summary jurisdiction exercised in 
the townships and hundreds of Anglo-Saxon England. 
Amongst us, the thief or the robber was equally liable 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


XXVll 


to summary punishment, if apprehended by the men 
of the township; and the same rules disqualified them 
from proceeding to summary execution. An English 
outlaw was exactly in the situation of him who had 
escaped from the hands of the Echevins, or who had 
failed to appear before the Yehmic Court: he was 
condemned unheard, nor was he confronted with his 
accusers. The inquisitorial proceedings, as they are 
termed by the German jurists, are identical with our 
ancient presentments. Presumptions are substituted 
for proofs, and general opinion holds the place of a 
responsible accuser. He who was untrue to all the 
people in the Saxon age, or liable to the malecredence 
of the inquest at a subsequent period, was scarcely 
more fortunate than he who was branded as ( Leumund 9 
by the Yehmic law. 

“ In cases of open delict and of outlawry, there was 
substantially no difference whatever between the Eng- 
lish and the Yehmic proceedings. But in the inquisi- 
torial process, the delinquent was allowed, according 
to our older code, to run the risk of the ordeal. He 
was accused by or before the Hundred, or the Thanes 
of the Wapentake; and his own oath cleared him, if a 
true man ; but he ‘ bore the iron 9 if unable to avail 
himself of the credit derived from a good and fair repu- 
tation. The same course may have been originally 
adopted in Westphalia; for the ‘Wissend,’ when 
accused, could exculpate himself by his compurgatory 
oath, being presumed to be of good fame; and it is, 
therefore, probable that an uninitiated offender, stand- 
ing a stage lower in character and credibility, was 
allowed the last resort of the ordeal. But when the 
‘ Judgment of God’ was abolished by the decrees of 
the Church, it did not occur to the Yehmic Judges to 
put the offender upon his second trial by the visne, 
which now forms the distinguishing characteristic of 


xxviii 


INTRODUCTION TO 


the English law, and he was at once considered as con- 
demned. The Heimliche Acht is a presentment not 
traversable by the offender. 

“ The Vehmic Tribunals can only be considered as 
the original jurisdictions of the ‘ Old Saxons’ which 
survived the subjugation of their country. The sin- 
gular and mystic forms of initiation , the system of 
enigmatical phrases , the use of the signs and symbols 
of recognition , may probably be ascribed to the period 
when the whole system was united to the worship of 
the Deities of Vengeance , and when the sentence was 
promulgated by the Doomsmen, assembled , like the Asi 
of old, before the altars of Thor or Woden. Of this 
connection with ancient pagan policy, so clearly to be 
traced in the Icelandic Courts, the English territorial 
jurisdictions offer some very faint vestiges; but the 
mystery had long been dispersed, and tbe whole sys- 
tem passed into the ordinary machinery of the law. 

“ As to the Vehmic Tribunals, it is acknowledged, 
that in a truly barbarous age and country, their pro- 
ceedings, however violent, were not without utility. 
Their severe and secret vengeance often deterred the 
rapacity of the noble robber, and protected the humble 
suppliant; the extent, and even the abuse, of their 
authority was in some measure justified in an Empire 
divided into numerous independent jurisdictions, and 
not subjected to any paramount tribunal, able to 
administer impartial justice to the oppressed. But as 
the times improved, the Vehmic tribunals degenerated. 
The Echevins, chosen from the inferior ranks, did not 
possess any personal consideration. Opposed by the 
opulent cities of the Hanse, and objects of the suspi- 
cion and the enmity of the powerful aristocracy, the 
tribunals of some districts were abolished by law, and 
others took the form of ordinary territorial jurisdic- 
tions; the greater number fell into desuetude. Yet, as 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


xxix 


late as the middle of the eighteenth century, a few 
Yehmic tribunals existed in name, though, as it may 
be easily supposed, without possessing any remnant of 
their pristine power .’ ’ — Palgrave on the Rise and 
Progress of the English Commonwealth. Proofs and 
Illustrations, p. 157. 

I have marked by italic letters the most important 
passage of the above quotation. The view it contains 
seems to me to have every appearance of truth and 
justice — and if such should, on maturer investigation, 
turn out to be the fact, it will certainly copfer no 
small honour on an English scholar to have discovered 
the key to a mystery, which had long exercised in 
vain the laborious and profound students of German 
antiquity. 

There are probably several other points on which I 
ought to have embraced this opportunity of enlarging; 
hut the necessity of preparing for an excursion to 
foreign countries, in quest of health and strength, that 
have been for some time sinking, makes me cut short 
my address upon the present occasion. 

Although I had never been in Switzerland, and 
numerous mistakes must of course have occurred in my 
attempts to describe the local scenery of that romantic 
region, I must not conclude without a statement highly 
gratifying to myself, that the work met with a recep- 
tion of more than usual cordiality among the descend- 
ants of the Alpine heroes whose manners I had 
ventured to treat of; and I have in particular to 
express my thanks to the several Swiss gentlemen who 
have, since the novel was published, enriched my little 
collection of armour with specimens of the huge weapon 
that sheared the lances of the Austrian chivalry at 
Sempach, and was employed with equal success on the 
bloody days of Granson and Morat. Of the ancient 
doublehanded espadons of the Switzer, I have, in this 


XXX 


INTRODUCTION. 


way, received, I think, not less than six, in excellent 
preservation, from as many different individuals, who 
thus testified their general approbation of these pages. 
They are not the less interesting, that gigantic swords, 
of nearly the same pattern and dimensions, were 
employed, in their conflicts with the bold knights and 
men-at-arms of England, by Wallace, and the sturdy 
foot-soldiers who, under his guidance, laid the founda- 
tions of Scottish independence. 

The reader who wishes to examine with attention 
the historical events of the period which the novel 
embraces will find ample means of doing so in the va- 
luable works of Zschokke and M. de Barante — which 
last author’s account of the Dukes of Burgundy is 
among the most valuable of recent accessions of Euro- 
pean literature — and in the new Parisian edition of 
Froissart, which has not as yet attracted so much 
attention in this country as it well deserves to do. 

W. S. 

Abbotsford, Sept. 17 , 1831 . 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN ; 

OR, 

THE MAIDEN OF THE MIST. 


CHAPTEE I. 

The mists boil up around the glaciers ; clouds 
Rise curling fast beneath me, white and sulphurous, 
Like foam from the roused ocean. 

. . . Iam giddy. 

Manfred. 


The course of four centuries has well-nigh elapsed 
since the series of events which are related in the 
following chapters took place on the Continent. 
The records which contained the outlines of the 
history, and might be referred to as proof of its 
veracity, were long preserved in the superb library 
of the Monastery of St. Gall, but perished, with 
many of the literary treasures of that establish- 
ment, when the convent was plundered by the 
French revolutionary armies. The events are 
fixed, by historical date, to the middle of the fif- 
teenth century — that important period, when 
chivalry still shone with a setting ray, soon about 
to be totally obscured : in some countries, by the 
establishment of free institutions ; in others, by that 

VOL. I. — 1 


2 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


of arbitrary power, which alike rendered useless 
the interference of those self-endowed redressers 
of wrongs, whose only warrant of authority was 
the sword. 

Amid the general light which had recently shone 
upon Europe, France, Burgundy, and Italy, but 
more especially Austria, had been made acquainted 
with the character of a people of whose very exist- 
ence they had before been scarcely conscious. It 
is true, that the inhabitants of those countries 
which lie in the vicinity of the Alps, that im- 
mense barrier, were not ignorant that, notwith- 
standing their rugged and desolate appearance, the 
secluded valleys which winded among those gigan- 
tic mountains nourished a race of hunters and 
shepherds ; men who, living in a state of primeval 
simplicity, compelled from the soil a subsistence 
gained by severe labour, followed the chase over 
the most savage precipices and through the darkest 
pine forests, or drove their cattle to spots which 
afforded them a scanty pasturage, even in the vici- 
nage of eternal snows. But the existence of such 
a people, or rather of a number of small communi- 
ties who followed nearly the same poor and hardy 
course of life, had seemed to the rich and powerful 
princes in the neighbourhood a matter of as little 
consequence, as it is to the stately herds which 
repose in a fertile meadow, that a few half-starved 
goats find their scanty food among the rocks which 
overlook their rich domain. 

But wonder and attention began to be attracted 
towards these mountaineers, about the middle of 
the fourteenth century, when reports were spread 
abroad of severe contests, in which the German 
chivalry, endeavouring to suppress insurrections 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


3 


among their Alpine vassals, had sustained repeated 
and bloody defeats, although having on their side 
numbers and discipline, and the advantage of the 
most perfect military equipment then known and 
confided in. Great was the wonder that cavalry, 
which made the only efficient part of the feudal 
armies of these ages, should be routed by men on 
foot; that warriors sheathed in complete steel 
should be overpowered by naked peasants who wore 
no defensive armour, and were irregularly provided 
with pikes, halberts, and clubs, for the purpose 
of attack ; above all, it seemed a species of miracle, 
that knights and nobles of the highest birth should 
be defeated by mountaineers and shepherds. But 
the repeated victories of the Swiss at Laupen, 
Sempach, (a ) 1 and on other less distinguished occa- 
sions, plainly intimated that a new principle of 
civil organisation, as well as of military move- 
ments, had arisen amid the stormy regions of 
Helvetia. 

Still, although the decisive victories which 
obtained liberty for the Swiss Cantons, as well as 
the spirit of resolution and wisdom with which 
the members of the little confederation had main- 
tained themselves against the utmost exertions of 
Austria, had spread their fame abroad through all 
the neighbouring countries; and although they 
themselves were conscious of the character and 
actual power which repeated victories had acquired 
for themselves and their country, yet down to the 
middle of the fifteenth century, and at a later date, 
the Swiss retained in a great measure the wisdom, 

1 See Editor’s Notes at the end of the Volume. Wherever a 
similar reference occurs, the reader will understand that the same 
direction applies. 


4 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


moderation, and simplicity of their ancient man- 
ners; so much so, that those who were intrusted 
with the command of the troops of the Republic in 
battle, were wont to resume the shepherd’s staff 
when they laid down the truncheon, and, like the 
Roman dictators, to retire to complete equality 
with their fellow-citizens, from the eminence of 
military command to which their talents, and the 
call of their country, had raised them. 

It is, then, in the Forest Cantons of Switzerland, 
in the autumn of 1474, while these districts were 
in the rude and simple state we have described, 
that our tale opens. 

Two travellers, one considerably past the prime 
of life, the other probably two or three and twenty 
years old, had passed the night at the little town of 
Lucerne, the capital of the Swiss state of the same 
name, and beautifully situated on the Lake of the 
Four Cantons. Their dress and character seemed 
those of merchants of a higher class, and while 
they themselves journeyed on foot, the character 
of the country rendering that by far the most easy 
mode of pursuing their route, a young peasant lad, 
from the Italian side of the Alps, followed them 
with a sumpter mule, laden apparently with men’s 
wares and baggage, which he sometimes mounted, 
but more frequently led by the bridle. 

The travellers were uncommonly fine-looking 
men, and seemed connected by some very near 
relationship, — probably that of father and son ; 
for at the little inn where they lodged on the pre- 
ceding evening, the great deference and respect 
paid by the younger to the elder had not escaped 
the observation of the natives, who, like other 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


5 


sequestered beings, were curious in proportion to 
the limited means of information which they pos- 
sessed. They observed also, that the merchants, 
under pretence of haste, declined opening their 
bales, or proposing traffic to the inhabitants of 
Lucerne, alleging in excuse that they had no com- 
modities fitted for the market. The females of the 
town were the more displeased with the reserve of 
the mercantile travellers, because they were given 
to understand that it was occasioned by the wares 
in which they dealt being too costly to find cus- 
tomers among the Helvetian mountains ; for it had 
transpired, by means of their attendant, that the 
strangers had visited Venice, and had there made 
many purchases of rich commodities, which were 
brought from India and Egypt to that celebrated 
emporium, as to the common mart of the Western 
World, and thence dispersed into all quarters of 
Europe. Now the Swiss maidens had of late made 
the discovery that gauds and gems were fair to 
look upon, and, though without the hope of being 
able to possess themselves of such ornaments, they 
felt a natural desire to review and handle the rich 
stores of the merchants, and some displeasure at 
being prevented from doing so. 

It was also observed, that though the strangers 
were sufficiently courteous in their demeanour, 
they did not evince that studious anxiety to please, 
displayed by the travelling pedlars or merchants 
of Lombardy or Savoy, by whom the inhabitants 
of the mountains were occasionally visited ; and 
who had been more frequent in their rounds of 
late years, since the spoils of victory had invested 
the Swiss with some wealth, and had taught many 
of them new wants. Those peripatetic traders 


6 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


were civil and assiduous, as their calling required ; 
but the new visitors seemed men who were indif- 
ferent to traffic, or at least to such slender gains 
as could be gathered in Switzerland. 

Curiosity was further excited by the circum- 
stance that they spoke to each other in a language 
which was certainly neither German, Italian, nor 
French, but from which an old man serving in the 
cabaret, who had once been as far as Paris, sup- 
posed they might be English ; a people of whom it 
was only known in these mountains, that they 
were a fierce insular race, at war with the French 
for many years, and a large body of whom had 
long since invaded the Forest Cantons, (b) and sus- 
tained such a defeat in the valley of Russwyl, as 
was well remembered by the grey -haired men of 
Lucerne, who received the tale from their fathers. 

The lad who attended the strangers was soon 
ascertained to be a youth from the Grisons coun- 
try, who acted as their guide, so far as his know- 
ledge of the mountains permitted. He said they 
designed to go to Bale, but seemed desirous to 
travel by circuitous and unfrequented routes. The 
circumstances just mentioned increased the general 
desire to know more of the travellers and of their 
merchandise. Hot a bale, however, was unpacked, 
and the merchants, leaving Lucerne next morning, 
resumed their toilsome journey, preferring a cir- 
cuitous route and bad roads, through the peaceful 
cantons of Switzerland, to encountering the exac- 
tions and rapine of the robber chivalry of Germany, 
who, like so many sovereigns, made war each at 
his own pleasure, and levied tolls and taxes on 
every one who passed their domains of a mile’s 
breadth, with all the insolence of petty tyranny. 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


7 


For several hours after leaving Lucerne, the 
journey of our travellers was successfully prose- 
cuted. The road, though precipitous and difficult, 
was rendered interesting by those splendid phe- 
nomena, which no country exhibits in a more 
astonishing manner than the mountains of Swit- 
zerland, where the rocky pass, the verdant valley, 
the broad lake, and the rushing torrent, the attri- 
butes of other hills as well as these, are inter- 
spersed with the magnificent and yet fearful horrors 
of the glaciers, a feature peculiar to themselves. 

It was not an age in which the beauties or gran- 
deur of a landscape made much impression either 
on the minds of those who travelled through the 
country, or who resided in it. To the latter, the 
objects, however dignified, were familiar, and asso- 
ciated with daily habits and with daily toil ; and 
the former saw, perhaps, more terror than beauty 
in the wild region through which they passed, and 
were rather solicitous to get safe to their night’s 
quarters, than to comment on the grandeur of the 
scenes which lay between them and their place of 
rest. Yet our merchants, as they proceeded on 
their journey, could not help being strongly im- 
pressed by the character of the scenery around 
them. Their road lay along the side of the lake, 
at times level and close on its very margin, at 
times rising to a great height on the side of the 
mountain, and winding along the verge of preci- 
pices which sunk down to the water as sharp and 
sheer as the wall of a castle descending upon the 
ditch which defends it. At other times it tra- 
versed spots of a milder character, — delightful 
green slopes, and lowly retired valleys, affording 
both pasturage and arable ground, sometimes 


8 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


watered by small streams, which winded by the 
hamlet of wooden huts with their fantastic little 
church and steeple, meandered round the orchard 
and the mount of vines, and, murmuring gently as 
they flowed, found a quiet passage into the lake. 

“ That stream, Arthur, ” said the elder traveller, 
as with one consent they stopped to gaze on such a 
scene as I have described, “ resembles the life of a 
good and a happy man. ” 

“ And the brook, which hurries itself headlong 
down yon distant hill, marking its course by a 
streak of white foam, ” answered Arthur, — “ what 
does that resemble ? ” 

“ That of a brave and unfortunate one, ” replied 
his father. 

“ The torrent for me, ” said Arthur ; “ a headlong 
course which no human force can oppose, and then 
let it be as brief as it is glorious. ” 

“It is a young man’s thought,” replied his 
father ; “ but I am well aware that it is so rooted 
in thy heart, that nothing but the rude hand of 
adversity can pluck it up. ” 

“ As yet the root clings fast to my heart’s 
strings,” said the young man; “and methinks 
adversity’s hand hath had a fair grasp of it. ” 

“ You speak, my son, of what you little under- 
stand, ” said his father. “ Know, that till the 
middle of life be passed, men scarce distinguish 
true prosperity from adversity, or rather they court 
as the favours of fortune what they should more 
justly regard as the marks of her displeasure. 
Look at yonder mountain, which wears on its 
shaggy brow a diadem of clouds, now raised and 
now depressed, while the sun glances upon, but is 
unable to dispel it ; — a child might believe it to 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


9 


be a crown of glory — a man knows it to be the 
signal of tempest. ” 

Arthur followed the direction of his father’s eye 
to the dark and shadowy eminence of Mount 
Pilatus. 

“ Is the mist on yonder wild mountain so omi- 
nous, then ? ” asked the young man. 

“ Demand of Antonio, ” said his father ; “ he will 
tell you the legend. ” 

The young merchant addressed himself to the 
Swiss lad who acted as their attendant, desiring to 
know the name of the gloomy height, which, in 
that quarter, seems the leviathan of the huge con- 
gregation of mountains assembled about Lucerne. 

The lad crossed himself devoutly, as he recounted 
the popular legend, that the wicked Pontius Pilate, 
Proconsul of Judea, had here found the termina- 
tion of his impious life; having, after spending 
years in the recesses of that mountain which bears 
his name, at length, in remorse and despair rather 
than in penitence, plunged into the dismal lake 
which occupies the summit. Whether water re- 
fused to do the executioner’s duty upon such a 
wretch, or whether, his body being drowned, his 
vexed spirit continued to haunt the place where 
he committed suicide, Antonio did not pretend to 
explain. But a form was often, he said, seen to 
emerge from the gloomy waters, and go through 
the action of one washing his hands ; and when he 
did so, dark clouds of mist gathered first round the 
bosom of the Infernal Lake (such it had been 
styled of old), and then, wrapping the whole 
upper part of the mountain in darkness, presaged 
a tempest or hurricane, which was sure to follow 
in a short space. He added, that the evil spirit 


10 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


was peculiarly exasperated at the audacity of such 
strangers as ascended the mountain to gaze at his 
place of punishment, and that, in consequence, the 
magistrates of Lucerne had prohibited any one 
from approaching Mount Pilatus, under severe 
penalties. Antonio once more crossed himself as 
he finished his legend ; in which act of devotion 
he was imitated by his hearers, too good Catholics 
to entertain any doubt of the truth of the story. 

“ How the accursed heathen scowls upon us ! ” 
said the younger of the merchants, while the cloud 
darkened and seemed to settle on the brow of 
Mount Pilatus. “ Vade retro! Be thou defied, 
sinner! ” 

A rising wind, rather heard than felt, seemed to 
groan forth, in the tone of a dying lion, the accep- 
tance of the suffering spirit to the rash challenge 
of the young Englishman. The mountain was 
seen to send down its rugged sides thick wreaths 
of heaving mist, which, rolling through the rugged 
chasms that seamed the grisly hill, resembled tor- 
rents of rushing lava pouring down from a volcano. 
The ridgy precipices, which formed the sides of 
these huge ravines, showed their splintery and 
rugged edges over the vapour, as if dividing from 
each other the descending streams of mist which 
rolled around them. As a strong contrast to this 
gloomy and threatening scene, the more distant 
mountain range of Rigi shone brilliant with all 
the hues of an autumnal sun. 

While the travellers watched this striking and 
varied contrast, which resembled an approaching 
combat betwixt the powers of Light and Darkness, 
their guide, in his mixed jargon of Italian and 
German, exhorted them to make haste on their 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


n 


journey. The village to which he proposed to 
conduct them, he said, was yet distant, the road 
bad, and difficult to find, and if the Evil One 
(looking to Mount Pilatus, and crossing himself) 
should send his darkness upon the valley, the path 
would be both doubtful and dangerous. The tra- 
vellers, thus admonished, gathered the capes of 
their cloaks close round their throats, pulled their 
bonnets resolvedly over their brows, drew the 
buckle of the broad belts which fastened their 
mantles, and each with a mountain staff in his 
hand, well shod with an iron spike, they pursued 
their journey, with unabated strength and un- 
daunted spirit. 

With every step the scenes around them ap- 
peared to change. Each mountain, as if its firm 
and immutable form were flexible and varying, 
altered in appearance, like* that of a shadowy 
apparition, as the position of the strangers relative 
to them changed with their motions, and as the 
mist, which continued slowly though constantly 
to descend, influenced the rugged aspect of the 
hills and valleys which it shrouded with its 
vapoury mantle. The nature of their progress, 
too, never direct, but winding by a narrow path 
along the sinuosities of the valley, and making 
many a circuit round precipices and other obstacles 
which it was impossible to surmount, added to the 
wild variety of a journey, in which, at last, the 
travellers totally lost any vague idea which they 
had previously entertained concerning the direction 
in which the road led them. • 

“ I would, ” said the elder, “ we had that mysti- 
cal needle which mariners talk of, that points ever 
to the north, and enables them to keep their way 


12 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


on the waters, when there is neither cape nor 
headland, sun, moon, nor stars, nor any mark in 
heaven or earth, to tell them how to steer. ” 

“ It would scarce avail us among these moun- 
tains, ” answered the youth ; “ for though that 
wonderful needle may keep its point to the north- 
ern Pole-star, when it is on a flat surface like the 
sea, it is not to be thought it would do so when 
these huge mountains arise like walls, betwixt the 
steel and the object of its sympathy. ” 

“ I fear me, ” replied the father, “ we shall find 
our guide, who has been growing hourly more 
stupid since he left his own valley, as useless as 
you suppose the compass would he among the hills 
of this wild country. — Canst tell, my boy, ” said 
he, addressing Antonio in bad Italian, “ if we be 
in the road we purposed ? ” 

“ If it please St. Antonio ” — said the guide, 
who was obviously too much confused to answer 
the question directly. 

“ And that water, half covered with mist, which 
glimmers through the fog, at the foot of this huge 
black precipice — • is it still a part of the Lake of 
Lucerne, or have we lighted upon another since we 
ascended that last hill ? ” 

Antonio could only answer that they ought to 
be on the Lake of Lucerne still, and that he hoped 
that what they saw below them was only a wind- 
ing branch of the same sheet of water. But he 
could say nothing with certainty. 

“ Dog of an Italian ! ” exclaimed the younger 
traveller, “ thou deservest to have thy bones 
broken, for undertaking a charge which thou art 
as incapable to perform as thou art to guide us to 
heaven S ” 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


13 


“ Peace, Arthur, ” said his father ; “ if you 
v frighten the lad, he runs off, and we lose the small 
advantage we might have by his knowledge; if 
you use your baton, he rewards you with the stab 
of a knife, — for such is the humour of a revenge- 
ful Lombard. Either way, you are marred instead 
of helped. — Hark thee hither, my boy, ” he con- 
tinued, in his indifferent Italian, “ be not afraid 
of that hot youngster, whom I will not permit to 
injure thee; but tell me, if thou canst, the names 
of the villages by which we are to make our jour- 
ney to-day. ” 

The gentle mode in which the elder traveller 
spoke reassured the lad, who had been somewhat 
alarmed at the harsh tone and menacing expres- 
sions of his younger companion ; and he poured 
forth, in his patois, a flood of names, in which 
the German guttural sounds were strangely inter- 
mixed with the soft accents of the Italian, but 
which carried to the hearer no intelligible infor- 
mation concerning the object of his question; so 
that at length he was forced to conclude, “ Even 
lead on, in Our Lady’s name, or in St. Antonio’s, 
if you like it better : we shall but lose time, I see, 
in trying to understand each other. ” 

They moved on as before, with this difference, 
that the guide, leading the mule, now went first, 
and was followed by the other two, whose motions 
he had formerly directed by calling to them from 
behind. The clouds meantime became thicker and 
thicker, and the mist, which had at first been a 
thin vapour, began now to descend in the form of a 
small thick rain, which gathered like dew upon 
the capotes of the travellers. Distant rustling and 
groaning sounds were heard among the remote 


14 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


mountains, similar to those by which the Evil 
Spirit of Mount Pilatus had seemed to announce 
the storm. The boy again pressed his companions 
to advance, but at the same time threw impedi- 
ments in the way of their doing so, by the slow- 
ness and indecision which he showed in leading 
them on. 

Having proceeded in this manner for three or 
four miles, which uncertainty rendered doubly 
tedious, the travellers were at length engaged in a 
narrow path, running along the verge of a preci- 
pice. Beneath was water, but of what description 
they could not ascertain. The wind, indeed, 
which began to be felt in sudden gusts, sometimes 
swept aside the mist so completely as to show the 
waves glimmering below; but whether they were 
those of the same lake on which their morning jour- 
ney had commenced, whether it was another and 
separate sheet of water of a similar character, or 
whether it was a river or large brook, the view 
afforded was too indistinct to determine. Thus 
far was certain, that they were not on the shores 
of the Lake of Lucerne, where it displays its 
usual expanse of waters ; for the same hurricane 
gusts which showed them water in the bottom of 
the glen, gave them a transient view of the oppo- 
site side, at what exact distance they could not 
well discern, but near enough to show tall abrupt 
rocks and shaggy pine-trees, here united in groups, 
and there singly anchored among the cliffs which 
overhung the water. This was a more distinct 
landscape than the farther side of the lake would 
have offered, had they been on the right road. 

Hitherto the path, though steep and rugged, was 
plainly enough indicated, and showed traces of 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


i5 


having been used both by riders and foot passen- 
gers. But suddenly, as Antonio with the loaded 
mule bad reached a projecting eminence, around 
the peak of which the path made a sharp turn, 
he stopped short, with his usual exclamation, 
addressed to his patron saint. It appeared to 
Arthur that the mule shared the terrors of the 
guide; for it started back, put forwards its fore 
feet separate from each other, and seemed, by the 
attitude which it assumed, to intimate a determi- 
nation to resist every proposal to advance, at the 
same time expressing horror and fear at the pro- 
spect which lay before it. 

Arthur pressed forward, not only from curiosity, 
but that he might if possible bear the brunt of any 
danger before his father came up to share it. In 
less time than we have taken to tell the story, the 
young man stood beside Antonio and the mule, 
upon a platform of rock on which the road seemed 
absolutely to terminate, and from the farther side 
of which a precipice sunk sheer down, to what 
depth the mist did not permit him to discern, but 
certainly uninterrupted for more than three hun- 
dred feet. 

The blank expression which overcast the visage 
of the younger traveller, and traces of which might 
be discerned in the physiognomy of the beast of 
burden, announced alarm and mortification at this 
unexpected and, as it seemed, insurmountable ob- 
stacle. NTor did the looks of the father, who pre- 
sently after came up to the same spot, convey either 
hope or comfort. He stood with the others gazing 
on the misty gulf beneath them, and looking all 
around, but in vain, for some continuation of the 
path, which certainly had never been originally 


i6 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


designed to terminate in this summary manner. 
As they stood uncertain what to do next, the son 
in vain attempting to discover some mode of pass- 
ing onward, and the father about to propose that 
they should return by the road which had brought 
them hither, a loud howl of the wind, more wild 
than they had yet heard, swept down the valley. 
All being aware of the danger of being hurled 
from the precarious station which they occupied, 
snatched at bushes and rocks by which to secure 
themselves, and even the poor mule seemed to 
steady itself in order to withstand the approaching 
hurricane. The gust came with such unexpected 
fury that it appeared to the travellers to shake the 
very rock on which they stood, and would have 
swept them from its surface like so many dry 
leaves, had it not been for the momentary precau- 
tions which they had taken for their safety. But 
as the wind rushed down the glen, it completely 
removed for the space of three or four minutes the 
veil of mist which former gusts had only served to 
agitate or discompose, and showed them the nature 
and cause of the interruption which they had met 
with so unexpectedly. 

The rapid but correct eye of Arthur was then 
able to ascertain that the path, after leaving the 
platform of rock on which they stood, had origi- 
nally passed upwards in the same direction along 
the edge of a steep bank of earth, which had then 
formed the upper covering of a stratum of precipi- 
tous rocks. But it had chanced, in some of the 
convulsions of nature which take place in those 
wild regions, where she works upon a scale so 
formidable, that the earth had made a slip, or 
almost a precipitous descent, from the rock, and 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


i7 


been hurled downwards with the path, which was 
traced along the top, and with bushes, trees, or 
whatever grew upon it, into the channel of the 
stream ; for such they could now discern the water 
beneath them to be, and not a lake, or an arm of 
a lake, as they had hitherto supposed. 

The immediate cause of this phenomenon might 
probably have been an earthquake, not unfrequent 
in that country. The bank of earth, now a con- 
fused mass of ruins inverted in its fall, showed 
some trees growing in a horizontal position, and 
others, which, having pitched on their heads in 
their descent, were at once inverted and shattered 
to pieces, and lay a sport to the streams of the 
river which they had heretofore covered with 
gloomy shadow. The gaunt precipice which 
remained behind, like the skeleton of some, huge 
monster divested of its flesh, formed the wall of a 
fearful abyss, resembling the face of a newly 
wrought quarry, more dismal of aspect from the 
rawness of its recent formation, and from its being 
as yet uncovered with any of the vegetation with 
which nature speedily mantles over the bare sur- 
face even of her sternest crags and precipices. 

Besides remarking these appearances, which 
tended to show that this interruption of the road 
had been of recent occurrence, Arthur was able to 
observe, on the farther side of the river, higher up 
the valley, and rising out of the pine forests, inter- 
spersed with rocks, a square building of conside- 
rable height, like the ruins of a Gothic tower. He 
pointed out this remarkable object to Antonio, and 
demanded if he knew it ; justly conjecturing that, 
from the peculiarity of the site, it was a landmark 
not easily to be forgotten by any who had seen it 

VOL. 1. — 2 


1 8 ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN 

before. Accordingly, it was gladly and promptly 
recognised by the lad, who called out cheerfully 
that the place was Geierstein — that is, as he ex- 
plained it, the Rock of the Vultures. He knew 
it, he said, by the old tower, as well as by a huge 
pinnacle of rock which arose near it, almost in the 
form of a steeple, to the top of which the lammer- 
geier (one of the largest birds of prey known to 
exist) had in former days transported the child of 
an ancient lord of the castle. He proceeded to 
recount the vow which was made by the Knight of 
Geierstein to Our Lady of Einsiedlen ; and, while 
he spoke, the castle, rocks, woods, and precipices 
again faded in mist. But as he concluded his won- 
derful narrative with the miracle which restored 
the infant again to its father’s arms, he cried out 
suddenly, “ Look to yourselves — the storm ! — the 
storm ! ” It came accordingly, and, sweeping the 
mist before it, again bestowed on the travellers a 
view of the horrors around them. 

“ Ay ! ” quoth Antonio, triumphantly, as the 
gust abated, “ old Pontius loves little to hear of 
Our Lady of Einsiedlen; but she will keep her 
own with him — Ave Maria ! ” 

“ That tower, ” said the young traveller, “ seems 
uninhabited. I can descry no smoke, and the 
battlement appears ruinous. ” 

“ It has not been inhabited for many a day, ” 
answered the guide. “ But I would I were at 
it, for all that. Honest Arnold Biederman, the 
Landamman [chief magistrate] of the Canton of 
Unterwalden, dwells near, and, I warrant you, dis- 
tressed strangers will not want the best that cup- 
board and cellar can find them, wherever he holds 
rule. ” 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


19 


“ I have heard of him, ” said the elder traveller, 
whom Antonio had been taught to call Seignor 
Philipson ; “ a good and hospitable man, and one 
who enjoys deserved weight with his countrymen. ” 
“ You have spoken him right, Seignor, ” answered 
the guide : “ and I would we could reach his house, 
where you should be sure of hospitable treatment, 
and a good direction for your next day’s journey. 
But how we are to get to the Vulture’s Castle, un- 
less we had wings like the vulture, is a question 
hard to answer. ” 

Arthur replied by a daring proposal, which the 
reader will find in the next chapter. 


CHAPTEE II. 


Away with me. 

The clouds grow thicker — there — now lean on me. 

Place your foot here — here, take this staff, and cling 

A moment to that shrub — now, give me your hand. 

The chalet will be gained within an hour. 

Manfred. 

After surveying the desolate scene as accurately 
as the stormy state of the atmosphere would per- 
mit, the younger of the travellers observed, “ In 
any other country, I should say the tempest begins 
to abate ; but what to expect in this land of deso- 
lation, it were rash to decide. If the apostate 
spirit of Pilate he actually on the blast, these 
lingering and more distant howls seem to intimate 
that he is returning to his place of punishment. 
The pathway has sunk with the ground on which 
it was traced — I can see part of it lying down in 
the abyss, marking, as with a streak of clay, yon- 
der mass of earth and stone. But I think it pos- 
sible, with your permission, my father, that I could 
still scramble forward along the edge of the preci- 
pice, till I come in sight of the habitation which 
the lad tells us of. If there he actually such a one, 
there must he an access to it somewhere ; and if I 
cannot find the path out, I can at least make a 
signal to those who dwell near the Vulture’s Nest 
yonder, and obtain some friendly guidance. ” 

11 1 cannot consent to your incurring such a 
risk,” said his father; “ let the lad go forward, if 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


21 


he can and will. He is mountain-bred, and I 
will reward him richly.” 

But Antonio declined the proposal absolutely 
and decidedly. “ I am mountain-bred, ” he said, 
“ but I am no chamois-hunter ; and I have no 
wings to transport me from cliff to cliff, like a 
, raven — gold is not worth life.” 

“ And God forbid, ” said Seignor Philipson, 
“ that I should tempt thee to weigh them against 
each other ! — Go on, then, my son — I follow 
thee. ” 

“ Under your favour, dearest sir, no, ” replied 
the young man ; “ it is enough to endanger the life 
of one — and mine, far the most worthless, should, 
by all the rules of wisdom as well as nature, be 
put first in hazard. ” 

“ No, Arthur, ” replied his father, in a deter- 
mined voice ; “ no, my son — I have survived 
much, but I will not survive thee. ” 

“ I fear not for the issue, father, if you permit 
me to go alone; but I cannot — dare not — under- 
take a task so perilous, if you persist in attempting 
to share it, with no better aid than mine. While 
I endeavoured to make a new advance, I should be 
ever looking back to see how you might attain the 
station which I was about to leave — And bethink 
you, dearest father, that if I fall, I fall an unre- 
garded thing, of as little moment as the stone or 
tree which has toppled headlong down before me. 
But you — should your foot slip, or your hand fail, 
bethink you what and how much must needs fall 
with you ! ” 

“ Thou art right, my child, ” said the father. 
“ I still have that which binds me to life, even 
though I were to lose in thee all that is dear to 


22 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


me. — Our Lady and our Lady’s Knight bless thee 
and prosper thee, my child ! Thy foot is young, 
thy hand is strong — thou hast not climbed Plyn- 
limmon in vain. Be bold, but be wary — remem- 
ber there is a man who, failing thee, has but one 
act of duty to bind him to the earth, and, that dis- 
charged, will soon follow thee. ” 

The young man accordingly prepared for his 
journey, and, stripping himself of his cumbrous 
cloak, showed his well-proportioned limbs in a 
jerkin of grey cloth, which sat close to his person. 
The father’s resolution gave way when his son 
turned round to bid him farewell. He recalled 
his permission, and in a peremptory tone forbade 
him to proceed. But, without listening to the 
prohibition, Arthur had commenced his perilous 
adventure. Descending from the platform on 
which he stood, by the boughs of an old ash-tree, 
which thrust itself out of the cleft of a rock, the 
youth was enabled to gain, though at great risk, a 
narrow ledge, the very brink of the precipice, by 
creeping along which he hoped to pass on till he 
made himself heard or seen from the habitation, 
of whose existence the guide had informed him. 
His situation, as he pursued this bold purpose, 
appeared so precarious, that even the hired atten- 
dant hardly dared to draw breath as he gazed on 
him. The ledge which supported him seemed to 
grow so narrow, as he passed along it, as to become 
altogether invisible, while sometimes with his 
face to the precipice, sometimes looking forward, 
sometimes glancing his eyes upward, but never 
venturing to cast a look below, lest his brain 
should grow giddy at a sight so appalling, he 
wound his way onward. To his father and the 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


23 


attendant, who beheld his progress, it was less 
that of a man advancing in the ordinary manner, 
and resting by aught connected with the firm 
earth, than that of an insect crawling along the 
face of a perpendicular wall, of whose progressive 
movement we are indeed sensible, but cannot per- 
ceive the means of its support. And bitterly, most 
bitterly, did the miserable parent now lament, 
that he had not persisted in his purpose to en- 
counter the baffling and even perilous measure of 
retracing his steps to the habitation of the pre- 
ceding night. He should then, at least, have 
partaken the fate of the son of his love. 

Meanwhile, the young man’s spirits were strongly 
braced for the performance of his perilous task. 
He laid a powerful restraint on his imagination, 
which in general was sufficiently active, and re- 
fused to listen, even for an instant, to any of the 
horrible insinuations by which fancy augments 
actual danger. He endeavoured manfully to reduce 
all around him to the scale of right reason, as the 
best support of true courage. “ This ledge of rock, ” 
he urged to himself, “ is but narrow, yet it has 
breadth enough to support' me ; these cliffs and 
crevices in the surface are small and distant, but 
the one affords as secure a resting-place to my feet, 
the other as available a grasp to my hands, as if I 
stood on a platform of a cubit broad, and rested 
my arm on a balustrade of marble. My safety, 
therefore, depends on myself. If I move with 
decision, step firmly, and hold fast, what signifies 
how near I am to the mouth of an abyss ? ” 

Thus estimating the extent of his danger by the 
measure of sound sense and reality, and supported 
by some degree of practice in such exercise, the 


24 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


brave youth went forward on his awful journey, 
step by step, winning his way with a caution and 
fortitude and presence of mind which alone could 
have saved him from instant destruction. At 
length he gained a point where a projecting rock 
formed the angle of the precipice, so far as it had 
been visible to him from the platform. This, 
therefore, was the critical point of his undertak- 
ing ; but it was also the most perilous part of it. 
The rock projected more than six feet forward over 
the torrent, which he heard raging at the depth of 
a hundred yards beneath, with a noise like sub- 
terranean thunder. He examined the spot with 
the utmost care, and was led, by the existence of 
shrubs, grass, and even stunted trees, to believe 
that this rock marked the farthest extent of the 
slip or slide of earth, and that, could he but turn 
round the angle of which it was the termination, 
he might hope to attain the continuation of the 
path which had been so strangely interrupted by 
this convulsion of nature. But the crag jutted 
out so much as to afford no possibility of passing 
either under or around it; and as it rose several 
feet above the position which Arthur had attained, 
it was no easy matter to climb over it. This was, 
however, the course which he chose, as the only 
mode of surmounting what he hoped might prove 
the last obstacle to his voyage of discovery. A 
projecting tree afforded him the means of raising 
and swinging himself up to the top of the crag. 
But he had scarcely planted himself on \t, had 
scarcely a moment to congratulate himself on 
seeing, amid a wild chaos of cliffs and wood, Hie 
gloomy ruins of Geierstein, with smoke arising, 
and indicating something like a human habitation 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


25 


beside them, when, to his extreme terror, he felt 
the huge cliff on which he stood tremble, stoop 
slowly forward, and gradually sink from its posi- 
tion. Projecting as it was, and shaken as its 
equilibrium had been by the recent earthquake, it 
lay now so insecurely poised, that its balance was 
entirely destroyed, even by the addition of the 
young man’s weight. 

Aroused by the imminence of the danger, Arthur, 
by an instinctive attempt at self-preservation, 
drew cautiously back from the falling crag into 
the tree by which he had ascended, and turned 
his head back as if spell-bound, to watch the 
descent of the fatal rock from which he had just 
retreated. It tottered for two or three seconds, as 
if uncertain which way to fall, and* had it taken 
a sidelong direction, must have dashed the adven- 
turer from his place of refuge, or borne both the 
tree and him headlong down into the river. After 
a moment of horrible uncertainty, the power of 
gravitation determined a direct and forward de- 
scent. Down went the huge fragment, which 
must have weighed at least twenty tons, rending 
and splintering in its precipitate course the trees 
and bushes which it encountered, and settling at 
length in the channel of the torrent, with a din 
equal to the discharge of a hundred pieces of artil- 
lery. The sound was re-echoed from bank to bank, 
from precipice to precipice, with emulative thun- 
ders ; nor was the tumult silent till it rose into the 
region of eternal snows, which, equally insensible 
to terrestrial sounds and unfavourable to animal 
life, heard the roar in their majestic solitude, but 
suffered it to die away without a responsive voice. 

What, in the meanwhile, were the thoughts of 


26 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


the distracted father, who saw the ponderous rock 
descend, but could not mark whether his only son 
had borne it company in its dreadful fall ! His 
first impulse was to rush forward along the face of 
the precipice, which he had seen Arthur so lately 
traverse ; and when the lad Antonio withheld him, 
by throwing his arms around him, he turned on 
the guide with the fury of a bear which had been 
robbed of her cubs. 

“ Unhand me, base peasant,” he exclaimed, “ or 
thou diest on the spot ! ” 

“ Alas ! ” said the poor boy, dropping on his 
knees before him, “ I too have a father ! ” 

The appeal went to the heart of the traveller, 
who instantly let the lad go, and holding up his 
hands, and lifting his eyes towards heaven, said, 
in accents of the deepest agony, mingled with 
devout resignation, “ Fiat voluntas tua ! — he was 
my last, and loveliest, and best beloved, and most 
worthy of my love ; and yonder, ” he added, “ yon- 
der over the glen soar the birds of prey, who are 
to feast on his young blood. — But I will see him 
once more, ” exclaimed the miserable parent, as the 
huge carrion vulture floated past him on the thick 
air, — “I will see my Arthur once more, ere the 
wolf and the eagle mangle him — I will see all of 
him that earth still holds. Detain me not — but 
abide here, and watch me as I advance. If I fall, 
as is most likely, I charge you to take the sealed 
papers, which you will find in the valise, and carry 
them to the person to, whom they are addressed, 
with the least possible delay. There is money 
enough in the purse to bury me with my poor boy, 
and to cause masses be said for our souls, arid yet 
leave you a rich recompense for your journey. ” 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


27 


The honest Swiss lad, obtuse in his understand- 
ing, but kind and faithful in his disposition, 
blubbered as his employer spoke, and, afraid to 
offer further remonstrance or opposition, saw his 
temporary master prepare himself to traverse the 
same fatal precipice over the verge of which his 
ill-fated son had seemed to pass to the fate which, 
with all the wildness of a parent’s anguish, his 
father was hastening to share. 

Suddenly there was heard, from beyond the fatal 
angle from which the mass of stone had been dis- 
placed by Arthur’s rash ascent, the loud hoarse 
sound of one of those huge horns made out of the 
spoils of the urus, or wild hull, of Switzerland, 
which in ancient times announced the terrors of the 
charge of these mountaineers, and, indeed, served 
them in war instead of all musical instruments. 

“ Hold, sir, hold ! ” exclaimed the Grison. 
“ Yonder is a signal from Geierstein. Some one 
will presently come to our assistance, and show 
us the safer way to seek for your son. — - And look 
you — at yon green bush that is glimmering 
through the mist, St. Antonio preserve me, as 
I see a white cloth displayed there! it is just 
beyond the point where the rock fell. ” 

The father endeavoured to fix his eyes on the 
spot, hut they filled so fast with tears that they 
could not discern the object which the guide 
pointed out. — “ It is all in vain, ” he said, dash- 
ing the tears from his eyes — “I shall never see 
more of him than his lifeless remains ! ” 

“ You will — you will see him in life ! ” said 
the Grison. “ St. Antonio wills it so — See, the 
white cloth waves again ! ” 

“ Some remnant of his garments, ” said the de- 


28 


ANNE OF GEIERSTE1N. 


spairing father, — “ some wretched memorial of his 
fate. — No, my eyes see it not — I have beheld the 
fall of my house — would that the vultures of these 
crags had rather torn them from their sockets ! ” 

“ Yet look again, ” said the Swiss ; “ the cloth 
hangs not loose upon a bough — I can see that it 
is raised on the end of a staff, and is distinctly 
waved to and fro. Your son makes a signal that 
he is safe. ” 

“And if it be so,” said the traveller, clasping 
his hands together, “ blessed be the eyes that see 
it, and the tongue that tells it! If we find my 
son, and find him alive, this day shall be a lucky 
one for thee too. ” 

“ Nay,” answered the lad, “ I only ask that you 
will abide still, and act by counsel, and I will 
hold myself quit for my services. Only, it is not 
creditable to an honest lad to have people lose 
themselves by their own wilfulness ; for the blame, 
after all, is sure to fall upon the guide, as if he 
could prevent old Pontius from shaking the mist 
from his brow, or banks of earth from slipping 
down into the valley at a time, or young hare- 
brained gallants from walking upon precipices as 
narrow as the edge of a knife, or madmen, whose 
grey hairs might make them wiser, from drawing 
daggers like bravos in Lombardy. ” 

Thus the guide ran on, and in that vein he 
might have long continued, for Seignor Philipson 
heard him not. Each throb of his pulse, each 
thought of his heart, was directed towards the 
object which the lad referred to as a signal of his 
son’s safety. He became at length satisfied that 
the signal was actually waved by a human hand ; 
and, as eager in the glow of reviving hope as he 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


29 


had of late been under the influence of desperate 
grief, he again prepared for the attempt of advan- 
cing towards his son, and assisting him, if possible, 
in regaining a place of safety. But the entreaties 
and reiterated assurances of his guide induced him 
to pause. 

“ Are you fit, ” he said, “ to go on the crag ? 
Can you repeat your Credo and Ave without miss- 
ing or misplacing a word? for, without that, our 
old men say your neck, had you a score of them, 
would be in danger. — Is your eye clear, and your 
feet firm ? — -I trow the one streams like a foun- 
tain, and the other shakes like the aspen which 
overhangs it ! Best here till those arrive who are 
far more able to give your son help than either 
you or I are. I judge, by the fashion of his blow- 
ing, that yonder is the horn of the Goodman of 
Geierstein, Arnold Biederman. He hath seen your 
son’s danger, and is even now providing for his 
safety and ours. There are cases in which the aid 
of one stranger, well acquainted with the country, 
is worth that of three brothers who know not the 
crags. ” 

“ But if yonder horn really sounded a signal, ” 
said the traveller, “ how chanced it that my son 
replied not ? ” 

“ And if he did so, as is most likely he did, ” 
rejoined the Grison, “ how should we have heard 
him ? The bugle of Uri itself sounded amid these 
horrible dins of water and tempest like the reed of 
a shepherd boy; and how think you we should 
hear the holloa of a man ? ” 

“ Yet, methinks, w said Seignor Philipson, “ I do 
hear something amid this roar of elements which 
is like a human voice — but it is not Arthur’s. ” 


30 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


“ I wot well, no, ” answered the Grison ; “ that is 
a woman’s voice. The maidens will converse with 
each other in that manner, from cliff to cliff, through 
storm and tempest, were there a mile between. ” 

“ Now, Heaven be praised for this providential 
relief! ” said Seignor Philipson; “ I trust we shall 
yet see this dreadful day safely ended. I will 
holloa in answer. ” 

He attempted to do so, but, inexperienced in the 
art of making himself heard in such a country, he 
pitched his voice in the same key with that of the 
roar of wave and wind; so that, even at twenty 
yards from the place where he was speaking, it 
must have been totally indistinguishable from 
that of the elemental war around them. The lad 
smiled at his patron’s ineffectual attempts, and 
then raised his voice himself in a high, wild, and 
prolonged scream, which, while produced with 
apparently much less effort than that of the 
Englishman, was nevertheless a distinct sound, 
separated from others by the key to which it was 
pitched, and was probably audible to a very con- 
siderable distance. It was presently answered by 
distant cries of the same nature, which gradually 
approached the platform, bringing renovated hope 
to the anxious traveller. 

If the distress of the father rendered his condi- 
tion an object of deep compassion, that of the son, 
at the same moment, was sufficiently perilous. 
We have already stated, that Arthur Philipson 
had commenced his precarious journey along the 
precipice with all the coolness, resolution, and 
unshaken determination of mind which was most 
essential to a task where all must depend upon 
firmness of nerve. But the formidable accident 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


3i 


which checked his onward progress was of a 
character so dreadful as made him feel all the bit- 
terness of a death instant, horrible, and, as it 
seemed, inevitable. The solid rock had trembled 
and rent beneath his footsteps, and although, by 
an effort rather mechanical than voluntary, he had 
withdrawn himself from the instant ruin attend- 
ing its descent, he felt as if the better part of him, 
his firmness of mind and strength of body, had 
been rent away with the descending rock, as it fell 
thundering,, with clouds of dust and smoke, into 
the torrents and whirlpools of the vexed gulf 
beneath. In fact, the seaman swept from the deck 
of a wrecked vessel, drenched in the waves, and 
battered against the rocks on the shore, does not 
differ more from the same mariner, when, at the 
commencement of the gale, he stood upon the deck 
of his favourite ship, proud of her strength and his 
own dexterity, than Arthur, when commencing his 
journey, from the same Arthur, while clinging to 
the decayed trunk of an old tree, from which, sus- 
pended between heaven and earth, he saw the fall 
of the crag which he had £0 nearly accompanied. 
The effects of his terror, indeed, were physical as 
well as moral, for a thousand colours played before 
his eyes ; he was attacked by a sick dizziness, and 
deprived at once of the obedience of those limbs 
which had hitherto served him so admirably ; his 
arms and hands, as if no longer at his own com- 
mand, now clung to the branches of the tree, with 
a cramp-like tenacity over which he seemed to 
possess no power, and now trembled in a state of 
such complete nervous relaxation as led him to fear 
that they were becoming unable to support him 
longer in his position. 


32 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


An incident, in itself trifling, added to the dis- 
tress occasioned by this alienation of his powers. 
All living things in the neighbourhood had, as 
might be supposed, been startled by the tremen- 
dous fall to which his progress had given occasion. 
Flights of owls, bats, and other birds of darkness, 
compelled to betake themselves to the air, had lost 
no time in returning into their bowers of ivy, or 
the harbour afforded them by the rifts and holes of 
the neighbouring rocks. One of this ill-omened 
flight chanced to be a lammer-geier, or Alpine 
vulture, a bird larger and more voracious than the 
eagle himself, and which Arthur had not been 
accustomed to see, or at least to look upon closely. 
With the instinct of most birds of prey, it is the 
custom of this creature, when gorged with food, to 
assume some station of inaccessible security, and 
there remain stationary and motionless for days 
together, till the work of digestion has been accom- 
plished, and activity returns with the pressure of 
appetite. Disturbed from such a state of repose, 
one of these terrific birds had risen from the ravine 
to which the species gives its name, and having 
circled unwillingly round, with a ghastly scream 
and a flagging wing, it had sunk down upon the 
pinnacle of a crag, not four yards from the tree 
in which Arthur held his precarious station. 
Although still in some degree stupefied by torpor, 
it seemed encouraged by the motionless state of 
the young man to suppose him dead, or dying, aijd 
sat there and gazed at him, without displaying 
any of that apprehension which the fiercest ani- 
mals usually entertain from the vicinity of man. 

As Arthur, endeavouring to shake off the inca- 
pacitating effects of his panic fear, raised his eyes 


33 


/ 

/ 

ANNE OF GEIERSTETN. 

to look gradually and cautiously around, he en- 
countered those Of the voracious/and obscene bird, 
whose head and neck denuded of feathers, her eyes 
surrounded by an iris of an orange tawny colour, 
and a position more horizontal than erect, distin- 
guished her as much from the noble carriage and 
graceful proportions of the eagle, as those of the 
lion place him in the ranks of creation above the 
gaunt, ravenous, grisly, yet dastard wolf. 

As if arrested by a charm, the eyes of young 
Philipson remained bent on this ill-omened and 
ill-favoured bird, without his having the power to 
remove them. The apprehension of dangers, ideal 
as well as real, weighed upon his weakened mind, 
disabled as it was by the circumstances of his situa- 
tion. The near approach of a creature, not more 
loathsome to the human race than averse to come 
within their reach, seemed as ominous as it was un- 
usual. Why did it gaze on him with such glaring 
earnestness, projecting its disgusting form, as if 
presently to alight upon his person ? The foul 
bird, was she the demon of the place to which her 
name referred ? and did she come to exult that an 
intruder on her haunts seemed involved amid their 
perils, with little hope or chance of deliverance ? 
Or was it a native vulture of the rocks, whose 
sagacity foresaw that the rash traveller was soon 
destined to become its victim? Could the crea- 
ture, whose senses are said to be so acute, argue 
from circumstances the stranger’s approaching 
death, and wait, like a raven or hooded crow by a 
dying sheep, for the earliest opportunity to com- 
mence her ravenous banquet ? Was he doomed to 
feel its beak and talons before his heart’s blood 
should cease to beat? Had he already lost the 

VOL. I. — 3 


34 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


dignity of humanity, the awe which the being 
formed in the image of his Maker inspires into all 
inferior creatures ? 

Apprehensions so painful served more than all 
that reason could suggest to renew in some degree 
the elasticity of the young man’s mind. By wav- 
ing his handkerchief, using, however, the greatest 
precaution in his movements, he succeeded in 
scaring the vulture from his vicinity. It rose 
from its resting-place, screaming harshly and dole- 
fully, and sailed on its expanded pinions to seek a 
place of more undisturbed repose, while the adven- 
turous traveller felt a sensible pleasure at being 
relieved of its disgusting presence. 

With more collected ideas, the young man, who 
could obtain, from his position, a partial view of 
the platform he had left, endeavoured to testify 
his safety to his father, by displaying, as high as 
he could, the banner by which he had chased off 
the vulture. Like them, too, he heard, but at a 
less distance, the burst of the great Swiss horn, 
which seemed to announce some near succour. He 
replied by shouting and waving his flag, to direct 
assistance to the spot where it was so much re- 
quired; and, recalling his faculties, which had 
almost deserted him, he laboured mentally to 
recover hope, and with hope the means and motive 
for exertion. 

A faithful Catholic, he eagerly recommended 
himself in prayer to Our Lady of Einsiedlen, and, 
making vows of propitiation, besought her inter- 
cession, that he might be delivered from his dread- 
ful condition. “ Or, gracious Lady ! ” he concluded 
his orison, “ if it is my doom to lose my life like 
a hunted fox amidst this savage wilderness of 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


35 


tottering crags, restore at least my natural sense of 
patience and courage, and let not one who has 
lived like a man, though a sinful one, meet death 
like a timid hare ! ” 

Having devoutly recommended himself to that 
Protectress, of whom the legends of the Catholic 
Church form a picture so amiable, Arthur, though 
every nerve still shook with his late agitation, 
and his heart throbbed with a violence that threat- 
ened to suffocate him, turned his thoughts and 
observation to the means of effecting his escape. 
But, as he looked around him, he became more 
and more sensible how much he was enervated by 
the bodily injuries and the mental agony which he 
had sustained during his late peril. He could 
not, by any effort of which he was capable, fix his 
giddy and bewildered eyes on the scene around 
him ; — they seemed to reel till the landscape 
danced along with them, and a motley chaos of 
thickets and tall cliffs, which interposed between 
him and the ruinous Castle of Geierstein, mixed 
and whirled round in such confusion, that nothing, 
save the consciousness that such an idea was the 
suggestion of partial insanity, prevented him from 
throwing himself from the tree, as if to join the 
wild dance to which his disturbed brain had given 
motion. 

“ Heaven be my protection ! ” said the unfortu- 
nate young man, closing his eyes, in hopes, by 
abstracting himself from the terrors of his situa- 
tion, to compose his too active imagination, “ my 
senses are abandoning me ! ” 

He became still more convinced that this was 
the case, when a female voice, in a high-pitched 
but eminently musical accent, was heard at no 


36 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


great distance, as if calling to him. He opened 
his eyes once more, raised his head, and looked 
towards the place whence the sounds seemed to 
come, though far from being certain that they 
existed saving in his own disordered imagina- 
tion. The vision which appeared had almost con- 
firmed him in the opinion that his mind was 
unsettled, and his senses in no state to serve him 
accurately. 

Upon the very summit of a pyramidical rock, 
that rose out of the depth of the valley, was seen 
a female figure, so obscured by mist that only 
the outline could be traced. The form, reflected 
against the sky, appeared rather the undefined 
lineaments of a spirit than of a mortal maiden; 
for her person seemed as light, and scarcely more 
opaque, than the thin cloud that surrounded her 
pedestal. Arthur’s first belief was, that the 
Virgin had heard his vows, and had descended in 
person to his rescue; and he was about to recite 
his Ave Maria, when the voice again called to him 
with the singular shrill modulation of the moun- 
tain halloo, by which the natives of the Alps can 
hold conference with each other from one moun- 
tain ridge to another, across ravines of great depth 
and width. 

While he debated how to address this unex- 
pected apparition, it disappeared from the point 
which it at first occupied, and presently after 
became again visible, perched on the cliff out of 
which projected the tree in which Arthur had 
taken refuge. Her personal appearance, as well as 
her dress, made it then apparent that she was a 
maiden of these mountains, familiar with their 
dangerous paths. He saw that a beautiful young 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


37 


woman stood before him, who regarded him with 
a mixture of pity and wonder. 

“ Stranger, ” she at length said, “ who are you, 
and whence come you ? ” 

“ I am a stranger, maiden, as you justly term 
me, ” answered the young man, raising himself as 
well as he could. “ I left Lucerne this morning, 
with my father, and a guide. I parted with them 
not three furlongs from hence. May it please you, 
gentle maiden, to warn them of my safety, for I 
know my father will be in despair upon my 
account ? ” 

“ Willingly, ” said the maiden ; “ but I think 
my uncle, or some one of my kinsmen, must have 
already found them, and will prove faithful guides. 
Can I not aid you ? Are you wounded ? Are you 
hurt ? We were alarmed by the fall of a rock — 
ay, and yonder it lies, a mass of no ordinary size. ” 
As the Swiss maiden spoke thus, she approached 
so close to the verge of the precipice, and looked 
with such indifference into the gulf, that the 
sympathy which connects the actor and spectator 
upon such occasions brought back the sickness 
and vertigo from which Arthur had just recovered, 
and he sank back into his former more recumbent 
posture, with something like a faint groan. 

“ You are then ill ? ” said the maiden, who ob- 
served him turn pale. “ Where and what is the 
harm you have received ? ” 

“ None, gentle maiden, saving some bruises of 
little import; but my head turns, and my heart 
grows sick, when I see you so near the verge of 
the cliff. " 

“ Is that all ? ” replied the Swiss maiden. 
“ Know, stranger, that I do not stand on my 


38 ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 

\ 

uncle’s hearth with more security than I have 
stood upon precipices compared to which this is 
a child’s leap. You too, stranger, if, as I judge 
from the traces, you have come along the edge of 
the precipice which the earth-slide hath laid bare, 
ought to be far beyond such weakness, since surely 
you must be well entitled to call yourself a 
cragsman. ” 

“ I might have called myself so half an hour 
since, ” answered Arthur ; “ but I think I shall 
hardly venture to assume the name in future. ” 

“ Be not downcast, ” said his kind adviser, “ for 
a passing qualm, which will at times cloud the 
spirit and dazzle the eyesight of the bravest and 
most experienced. Raise yourself upon the trunk 
of the tree, and advance closer to the rock out of 
which it grows. Observe the place well. It is 
easy for you, when you have attained the lower 
part of the projecting stem, to gain by one bold 
step the solid rock upon which I stand, after 
which there is no danger or difficulty worthy of 
mention to a young man, whose limbs are whole, 
and whose courage is active. ” 

“ My limbs are indeed sound, ” replied the 
youth ; “ but I am ashamed to think how much my 
courage is broken. Yet I will not disgrace the 
interest you have taken in an unhappy wanderer, 
by listening longer to the dastardly suggestions of 
a feeling which till to-day has been a stranger to 
my bosom. ” 

The maiden looked on him anxiously, and with 
much interest, as, raising himself cautiously, and 
moving along the trunk of the tree, which lay 
nearly horizontal from the rock, and seemed to 
bend as he changed his posture, the youth at 


ANNE OF GEIE11STEIN. 


39 


length stood upright, within what, on level 
ground, had been but an extended stride to the 
cliff on which the Swiss maiden stood. But in- 
stead of being a step to be taken on the level and 
firm earth, it was one which must cross a dark 
abyss, at the bottom of which a torrent surged 
and boiled with incredible fury. Arthur’s knees 
knocked against each other, his feet became of 
lead, and seemed no longer at his command ; and 
he experienced, in a stronger degree than ever, 
that unnerving influence, which those who have 
been overwhelmed by it in a situation of like 
peril never can forget, and which others, happily 
strangers to its power, may have difficulty even in 
comprehending. 

The young woman discerned his emotion, and 
foresaw its probable consequences. As the only 
mode in her power to restore his confidence, she 
sprang lightly from the rock to the stem of the 
tree, on which she alighted with the ease and 
security of a bird, and in the same instant back to 
the cliff ; and extending her hand to the stranger, 
“ My arm, ” she said, “ is but a slight balustrade ; 
yet do but step forward with resolution, and you 
will find it as secure as the battlement of Berne. ” 
But shame now overcame terror so much, that 
Arthur, declining assistance which he could not 
have accepted without feeling lowered in his own 
eyes, took heart of grace, and successfully achieved 
the formidable step which placed him upon the 
same cliff with his kind assistant. 

To seize her hand and raise it to his lips, in 
affectionate token of gratitude and respect, was 
naturally the youth’s first action; nor was it pos- 
sible for the maiden to have prevented him from 


40 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


doing so, without assuming a degree of prudery 
foreign to her character, and occasioning a cere- 
monious debate upon a matter of no great conse- 
quence, where the scene of action was a rock 
scarce five feet long by three in width, and which 
looked down upon a torrent roaring some three 
hundred feet below. 


i 


CHAPTER III. 


Cursed be the gold and silver, which persuade 
Weak man to follow far fatiguing trade. 

The lily, peace, outshines the silver store. 

And life is dearer than the golden ore. 

Yet money tempts us o’er the desert brown, 

To every distant mart and wealthy town. 

Hassan, or the Camel-driver. 

Arthur Philipson and Anne of Geierstein, thus 
placed together in a situation which brought them 
into the closest possible contiguity, felt a slight 
degree of embarrassment; the young man, doubt- 
less, from the fear of being judged a poltroon in 
the eyes of the maiden by whom he had been 
rescued, and the young woman, perhaps, in con- 
sequence of the exertion she had made, or a sense 
of being placed suddenly in a situation of such 
proximity to the youth whose life she had probably 
saved. 

“ And now, maiden, ” said Arthur, “ I must 
repair to my father. The life which I owe to 
your assistance can scarce be called welcome to 
me, unless I am permitted to hasten to his 
rescue. ” 

He was here interrupted by another bugle-blast, 
which seemed to come from the quarter in which 
the elder Philipson and his guide had been left by 
their young and daring companion. Arthur looked 
in that direction; but the platform, which he had 
seen but imperfectly from the tree, when he was 


42 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


perched in that place of refuge, was invisible from 
the rock on which they now stood. 

“ It would cost me nothing to step back on 
yonder root, ” said the young woman, “ to spy from 
thence whether I could see aught of your friends. 
But I am convinced they are under safer guidance 
than either yours or mine ; for the horn announces 
that my uncle, or some of my young kinsmen, 
have reached them. They are by this time on 
their way to the Geierstein, to which, with your 
permission, I will become your guide ; for you 
may be assured that my uncle Arnold will not 
allow you to pass farther to-day ; and we shall hut 
lose time by endeavouring to find your friends, 
who, situated where you say you left them, will 
reach the Geierstein sooner than we shall. Follow 
me, then, or I must suppose you weary of my 
guidance. ” 

“ Sooner suppose me weary of the life which your 
guidance has in all probability saved,” replied 
Arthur, and prepared to attend her ; at the same 
time taking a view of her dress and person, which 
confirmed the satisfaction he had in following such 
a conductor, and which we shall take the liberty 
to detail somewhat more minutely than he could 
do at that time. 

An upper vest, neither so close as to display the 
person, a habit forbidden by the sumptuary laws 
of the canton, nor so loose as to be an incumbrance 
in walking or climbing, covered a close tunic of a 
different colour, and came down beneath the middle 
of the leg, but suffered the ankle, in all its fine 
proportions, to be completely visible. The foot 
was defended by a sandal, the point of which was 
turned upwards, and the crossings and knots of 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


43 


the strings, which secured it on the front of the 
leg, were garnished with silver rings. The upper 
vest was gathered round the middle by a sash 
of party-coloured silk, ornamented with twisted 
threads of gold; while the tunic, open at the 
throat, permitted the shape and exquisite white- 
ness of a well-formed neck to be visible at the 
collar, and for an inch or two beneath. The small 
portion of the throat and bosom thus exposed was 
even more brilliantly fair than was promised by 
the countenance, which last bore some marks of 
having been freely exposed to the sun and air, by no 
means in a degree to diminish its beauty, but just 
so far as to show that the maiden possessed the 
health which is purchased by habits of rural exer- 
cise. Her long fair hair fell down in a profusion 
of curls on each side of a face, whose blue eyes, 
lovely features, and dignified simplicity of expres- 
sion implied at once a character of gentleness 
and of the self-relying resolution of a mind too 
virtuous to suspect evil, and too noble to fear it. 
Above these locks, beauty’s natural and most 
beseeming ornament — or rather, I should say, 
amongst them — was placed the small bonnet, 
which, from its size, little answered the purpose 
of protecting the head, but served to exercise the 
ingenuity of the fair wearer, who had not failed, 
according to the prevailing custom of the moun- 
tain maidens, to decorate the tiny cap with a 
heron’s feather, and the then unusual luxury of 
a small and thin chain of gold, long enough to 
encircle the cap four or five times, and having the 
ends secured under a broad medal of the same 
costly metal. 

I have only to add, that the stature of the 


44 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


young person was something above the common 
size, and that the whole contour of her form, 
without being in the slightest degree masculine, 
resembled that of Minerva, rather than the proud 
beauties of Juno, or the yielding graces of Venus. 
The noble brow, the well-formed and active limbs, 
the firm and yet light step — above all, the total 
absence of anything resembling the consciousness 
of personal beauty, and the open and candid look, 
which seemed desirous of knowing nothing that 
was hidden, and conscious that she herself had 
nothing to hide, were traits not unworthy of the 
goddess of wisdom and of chastity. 

The road which the young Englishman pursued, 
under the guidance of this beautiful young woman, 
was difficult and unequal, but could not be termed 
dangerous, at least in comparison to those preci- 
pices over which Arthur had recently passed. It 
was, in fact, a continuation of the path which the 
slip or slide of earth, so often mentioned, had 
interrupted ; and although it had sustained damage 
in several places at the period of the same earth- 
quake, yet there were marks of these having been 
already repaired in such a rude manner as made 
the way sufficient for the necessary intercourse of 
a people so indifferent as the Swiss to smooth or 
level paths. The maiden also gave Arthur to un- 
derstand, that the present road took a circuit for 
the purpose of gaining that on which he was lately 
travelling, and that, if he and his companions had 
turned off at the place where this new track united 
with the old pathway, they would have escaped 
the danger which had attended their keeping the 
road by the verge of the precipice. 

The path which they now pursued was rather 


<• 


0 






ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


45 


averted from the torrent, though still within hearing 
of its sullen thunders, which seemed to increase 
as they ascended parallel to its course, till sud- 
denly the road, turning short, and directing itself 
straight upon the old castle, brought them within 
sight of one of the most splendid and awful scenes 
of that mountainous region. 

The ancient tower of G-eierstein, though neither 
extensive, nor distinguished by architectural orna- 
ment, possessed an air of terrible dignity by its 
position on the very verge of the opposite bank of 
the torrent, which, just at the angle of the rock on 
which the ruins are situated, falls sheer over a 
cascade of nearly a hundred feet in height, and 
then rushes down the defile, through a trough of 
living rock, which perhaps its waves have been 
deepening since time itself had a commencement. 
Facing, and at the same time looking down upon 
this eternal roar of waters, stood the old tower, 
built so close to the verge of the precipice, that the 
buttresses with which the architect had strength- 
ened the foundation seemed a part of the solid 
rock itself, and a continuation of its perpendicular 
ascent. As usual throughout Europe in the feudal 
times, the principal part of the building was a 
massive square pile, the decayed summit of which 
was rendered picturesque, by flanking turrets of 
different sizes and heights, some round, some an- 
gular, some ruinous, some tolerably entire, varying 
the outline of the building as seen against the 
stormy sky. 

A projecting sallyport, descending by a flight of 
steps from the tower, had in former times given 
access to a bridge connecting the castle with that 
side of the stream on which Arthur Philipson and 


46 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


his fair guide now stood. A single arch, or rather 
one rib of an arch, consisting of single stones, still 
remained, and spanned the river immediately in 
front of the waterfall. In former times this arch 
had served for the support of a wooden draw- 
bridge, of more convenient breadth, and of such 
length and weight as must have been rather un- 
manageable, had it not been lowered on some solid 
resting-place. It is true, the device was attended 
with this inconvenience, that even when the draw- 
bridge was up, there remained a possibility of 
approaching the castle gate by means of this nar- 
row rib of stone. But as it was not above eighteen 
inches broad, and could only admit the daring foe 
who should traverse it to a doorway regularly 
defended by gate and portcullis, and having flank- 
ing turrets and projections, from which stones, 
darts, melted lead, and scalding water might be 
poured down on the soldiery who should venture to 
approach Geierstein by this precarious access, the 
possibility of such an attempt was not considered 
as diminishing the security of the garrison. 

In the time we treat of, the castle being entirely 
ruined and dismantled, and the door, drawbridge, 
and portcullis gone, the dilapidated gateway, 
and the slender arch which connected the two 
sides of the stream, were used as a means of 
communication between the hanks of the river, by 
the inhabitants of the neighbourhood, whom habit 
had familiarised with the dangerous nature of the 
passage. 

Arthur Philipson had, in the meantime, like a 
good how when new strung, regained the elasticity 
of feeling and character which was natural to him. 
It was not indeed with perfect composure that he 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


47 


followed his guide, as she tripped lightly over the 
narrow arch, composed of rugged stones, and ren- 
dered wet and slippery with the perpetual drizzle 
of the mist issuing from the neighbouring cascade. 
Nor was it without apprehension that he found 
himself performing this perilous feat in the neigh- 
bourhood of the waterfall itself, whose deafening 
roar he could not exclude from his ears, though he 
took care not to turn his head towards its terrors, 
lest his brain should again be dizzied by the 
tumult of the waters as they shot forward from the 
* precipice above, and plunged themselves into what 
seemed the fathomless gulf below. But notwith- 
standing these feelings of agitation, the natural 
shame to show cowardice where a beautiful young 
female exhibited so much indifference, and the 
desire to regain his character in the eyes of his 
guide, prevented Arthur from again giving way to 
the appalling feelings by which he had been over- 
whelmed a short time before. Stepping firmly on, 
yet cautiously supporting himself with his piked 
staff, he traced the light footsteps of his guide 
along the bridge of dread, and followed her through 
the ruined sallyport, to which they ascended by 
stairs which were equally dilapidated. 

The gateway admitted them into a mass of 
ruins, formerly a sort of courtyard to the donjon, 
which rose in gloomy dignity above the wreck of 
what had been works destined for external defence, 
or buildings for internal accommodation. They 
quickly passed through these ruins, over which 
vegetation had thrown a wild mantle of ivy, and 
other creeping shrubs, and issued from them 
through the main gate of the castle into one of 
those spots in which Nature often embosoms her 


48 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


sweetest charms, in the midst of districts chiefly 
characterised by waste and desolation. 

The castle in this aspect also rose considerably 
above the neighbouring ground, but the elevation 
of the site, which towards the torrent was an 
abrupt rock, was on this side a steep eminence, 
which had been scarped like a modern glacis, to 
render the building more secure. It was now 
covered with young trees and bushes, out of which 
the tower itself seemed to rise in ruined dignity. 
Beyond this hanging thicket the view was of 
a very different character. A piece of ground, 
amounting to more than a hundred acres, seemed 
scooped out of the rocks and mountains, which, 
retaining the same savage character with the tract 
in which the travellers had been that morning 
bewildered, enclosed, and as it were defended, a 
limited space of a mild and fertile character. The 
surface of this little domain was considerably 
varied, but its general aspect was a gentle slope 
to the south-west. 

The principal object which it presented was a 
large house composed of huge logs, without any pre- 
tence to form or symmetry, but indicating, by the 
smoke which arose from it, as well as the extent 
of the neighbouring offices, and the improved and 
cultivated character of the fields around, that it was 
the abode, not of splendour certainly, but of ease 
and competence. An orchard of thriving fruit-trees 
extended to the southward of the dwelling. Groves 
of walnut and chestnut grew in stately array, and 
even a vineyard, of three or four acres, showed 
that the cultivation of the grape was understood 
and practised. It is now universal in Switzer- 
land, but was, in those early days, almost exclu- 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


49 


sively confined to a few more fortunate proprietors, 
who had the rare advantage of uniting intelligence 
with opulent, or at least easy, circumstances. 

There were fair ranges of pasture-fields, into 
which the fine race of cattle which constitute the 
pride and wealth of the Swiss mountaineers had 
been brought down from the more Alpine grazings 
where they had fed during the summer, to be near 
shelter and protection when the autumnal storms 
might be expected. On some selected spots, the 
lambs of the last season fed in plenty and security, 
and in others, huge trees, the natural growth of 
the soil, were suffered to remain, from motives of 
convenience probably, that they might be at hand 
when timber was required for domestic use, but 
giving, at the same time, a woodland character 
to a scene otherwise agricultural. Through this 
mountain-paradise the course of a small brook 
might be traced, now showing itself to the sun, 
which had by this time dispelled the fogs, now 
intimating its course, by its gently sloping banks, 
clothed in some places with lofty trees, or con- 
cealing itself under thickets of hawthorn and nut 
bushes. This stream, by a devious and gentle 
course, which seemed to indicate a reluctance to 
leave this quiet region, found its way at length 
out of the sequestered domain, and, like a youth 
hurrying from the gay and tranquil sports of boy- 
hood into the wild career of active life, finally 
united itself with the boisterous torrent, which, 
breaking down tumultuously from the mountains, 
shook the ancient Tower of Geierstein as it rolled 
down the adjacent rock, and then rushed howling 
through the defile in which our youthful traveller 
had well-nigh lost his life. 

VOL. I. — 4 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


So 

Eager as the younger Philipson was to rejoin his 
father, he could not help pausing for a moment to 
wonder how so much beauty should be found amid 
such scenes of horror, and to look back on the 
Tower of Geierstein, and on the huge cliff from 
which it derived its name, as if to ascertain, by 
the sight of these distinguished landmarks, that 
he was actually in the neighbourhood of the savage 
wild where he had encountered so much danger 
and terror. Yet so narrow were the limits of this 
cultivated farm, that it hardly required such a 
retrospect to satisfy the spectator that the spot 
susceptible of human industry, and on which it 
seemed that a considerable degree of labour had 
been bestowed, bore a very small proportion to the 
wilderness in which it was situated. It was on 
all sides surrounded by lofty hills, in some places 
rising into walls of rock, in others clothed with 
dark and savage forests of the pine and the larch, 
of primeval antiquity. Above these, from the 
eminence on which the tower was situated, could 
be seen the almost rosy hue in which an immense 
glacier threw back the sun ; and still higher over 
the frozen surface of that icy sea arose, in silent 
dignity, the pale peaks of those countless moun- 
tains, on which the snow eternally rests. 

What we have taken some time to describe, 
occupied young Philipson only for one or two 
hurried minutes ; for on a sloping lawn, which 
was in front of the farm-house, as the mansion 
might properly be styled, he saw five or six persons, 
the foremost of whom, from his gait, his dress, 
and the form of his cap, he could easily distin- 
guish as the parent whom he hardly expected at 
one time to have again beheld. 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 51 

He followed, therefore, his conductress with a 
glad step, as she led the way down the steep 
ascent on which the ruined tower was situated. 
They approached the group whom Arthur had 
noticed, the foremost of which was his father, who 
hastily came forward to meet him, in company 
with another person, of advanced age, and stature 
well-nigh gigantic, and who, from his simple yet 
majestic bearing, seemed the worthy countryman 
of William Tell, Stauffacher, Winkelried, and 
other Swiss worthies, whose stout hearts and 
hardy arms had, in the preceding age, vindicated 
against countless hosts their personal liberty, and 
the independence of their country. 

With a natural courtesy, as if to spare the 
father and son many witnesses to a meeting which 
must be attended with emotion, the Landamman 
himself, in walking forward with the elder Philip- 
son, signed to those by whom he was attended, all 
of whom seemed young men, to remain behind. 
They remained accordingly, examining, as it 
seemed, the guide Antonio, upon the adventures 
of the strangers. Anne, the conductress of Arthur 
Philipson, had but time to say to him, “ Yonder 
old man is my uncle, Arnold Biederman, and these 
young men are my kinsmen, ” when the former, 
with the elder traveller, were close before them. 
The Landamman, with the same propriety of feel- 
ing which he had before displayed, signed to his 
niece to move a little aside; yet while requiring 
from her an account of her morning’s expedition, 
he watched the interview of the father and son 
with as much curiosity as his natural sense of com- 
plaisance permitted him to testify. It was of a 
character different from what he had expected. 


5 2 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


We have already described the elder Philipson 
as a father devotedly attached to his son, ready to 
rush on death when he had expected to lose him, 
and equally overjoyed at heart, doubtless, to see 
him again restored to his affections. It might 
have been therefore expected that the father and 
son would have rushed into each other’s arms, 
and such probably was the scene which Arnold 
Biederman expected to have witnessed. 

But the English traveller, in common with 
many of his countrymen, covered keen and quick 
feelings with much appearance of coldness and 
reserve, and thought it a weakness to give un- 
limited sway even to the influence of the most 
amiable and most natural emotions. Eminently 
handsome in youth, his countenance, still fine in 
his more advanced years, had an expression which 
intimated an unwillingness either to yield to 
passion or encourage confidence. His pace, when 
he first beheld his son, had been quickened by the 
natural wish to meet him ; but he slackened it as 
they drew near to each other, and when they met, 
said in a tone rather of censure and admonition 
than affection, — “ Arthur, may the Saints forgive 
the pain thou hast this day given me. ” 

“ Amen,” said the youth. “ I must need pardon 
since I have given you pain. Believe, however, 
that I acted for the best. ” 

“ It is well, Arthur, that in acting for the best, 
according to your forward will, you have not en- 
countered the worst. * 

“ That I have not, ” answered the son, with the 
same devoted and patient submission, is owing to 
this maiden,” pointing to Anne, who stood at a 
few paces’ distance, desirous perhaps of avoiding 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


53 


to witness the reproof of the father, which might 
seem to her rather ill-timed and unreasonable. 

“ To the maiden my thanks shall be rendered,” 
said his father, “ when I can study how to pay 
them in an adequate manner; but is it well or 
comely, think you, that, you should receive from 
a maiden the succour which it is your duty as a 
man to extend to the weaker sex ? ” 

Arthur held down his head and blushed deeply, 
while Arnold Biederman, sympathising with his 
feelings, stepped forward and mingled in the 
conversation. 

“ Never be abashed, my young guest, that you 
have been indebted for aught of counsel or assist- 
ance to a maiden of Unterwalden. Know that the 
freedom of their country owes no less to the firm- 
ness and wisdom of her daughters than to that of 
her sons. — And you, my elder guest, who have, 
I judge, seen many years and various lands, must 
have often known examples how the strong are 
saved by the help of the weak, the proud by the 
aid of the humble. ” 

“ I have at least learned,” said the Englishman, 
“ to debate no point unnecessarily with the host 
who has kindly harboured me ; ” and after one 
glance at his son, which seamed to kindle with 
the fondest affection, he resumed, as the party 
turned back towards the house, a conversation 
which he had been maintaining with his new 
acquaintance before Arthur and the maiden had 
joined them. 

Arthur had in the meantime an opportunity of 
observing the figure and features of their Swiss 
landlord, which, I have already hinted, exhibited 
a primeval simplicity mixed with a certain rude 


54 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


dignity, arising out of its masculine and unaffected 
character. The dress did not greatly differ in 
form from the habit of the female which we have 
described. It consisted of an upper frock, shaped 
like the modern shirt, and only open at the bosom, 
worn above a tunic or under doublet. But the 
man’s vest was considerably shorter in the skirts, 
which did not come lower down than the kilt of 
the Scottish Highlander; a species of boots or 
buskins rose above the knee, and the person was 
thus entirely clothed. A bonnet made of the fur 
of the marten, and garnished with a silver medal, 
was the only part of the dress which displayed 
anything* like ornament; the broad belt which 
gathered the garment together was of buff leather, 
secured by a large brass buckle. 

But the figure of him who wore this homely 
attire, which seemed almost wholly composed of 
the fleeces of the mountain sheep and the spoils 
of animals of the chase, would have commanded 
respect wherever the wearer had presented him- 
self, especially in those warlike days, when men 
were judged of according to the promising or 
unpromising qualities of their thews and sinews. 
To those who looked at Arnold Biederman from 
this point of view, he displayed the size and form, 
the broad shoulders and prominent muscles, of 
a Hercules. But to such as looked rather at his 
countenance, the steady sagacious features, open 
front, large blue eyes, and deliberate resolution 
which it expressed, more resembled the character 
of the fabled King of Gods and Men. He was 
attended by several sons and relatives, young men, 
among whom he walked, receiving, as his unde- 
niable due, respect and obedience, similar to that 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


55 

which a herd of deer are observed to render to the 
monarch stag. 

While Arnold Biederman walked and spoke 
with the elder stranger, the young men seemed 
closely to scrutinise Arthur, and occasionally 
interrogated in whispers their relation Anne, 
receiving from her brief and impatient answers, 
which rather excited than appeased the vein of 
merriment in which the mountaineers indulged, 
very much, as it seemed to the young Englishman, 
at the expense of their guest. To feel himself 
exposed to derision was not softened by the reflec- 
tion, that in such a society it would probably be 
attached to all who could not tread on the edge of 
a precipice with a step as firm and undismayed as 
if they walked the street of a city. However un- 
reasonable ridicule may be, it is always unpleasing 
to be subjected to it, but more particularly is it 
distressing to a young man, where beauty is a 
listener. It was some consolation to Arthur that 
he thought the maiden certainly did not enjoy the 
jest, and seemed by word and look to reprove the 
rudeness of her companions; but this he feared 
was only from a sense of humanity. 

“She, too, must despise me,” he thought, 
“ though civility, unknown to these ill-taught 
boors, has enabled her to conceal contempt under 
the guise of pity. She can but judge of me from 
that which she has seen — if she could know me 
better” (such was his proud thought), “ she might 
perhaps rank me more highly.” 

As the travellers entered the habitation of 
Arnold Biederman, they found preparations made 
in a large apartment, which served the purpose of 
general accommodation, for a homely but plentiful 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


56 

meal. A glance round the walls showed the im- 
plements of agriculture and the chase; but the 
eyes of the elder Philipson rested upon a leathern 
corselet, a long heavy halberd, and a two-handed 
sword, which were displayed as a sort of trophy. 
Near these, hut covered with dust, unfurbished 
and neglected, hung a helmet, with a visor, such 
as was used by knights and men-at-arms. The 
golden garland, or coronal twisted around it, 
though sorely tarnished, indicated noble birth and 
rank; and the crest, which was a vulture of the 
species which gave name to the old castle and its 
adjacent cliff, suggested various conjectures to the 
English guest, who, acquainted in a great measure 
with the history of the Swiss revolution, made 
little doubt that in this relic he saw some trophy 
of the ancient warfare between the inhabitants of 
these mountains, and the feudal lord to whom 
they had of yore appertained. 

A summons to the hospitable board disturbed 
the train of the English merchant’s reflections; 
and a large company, comprising the whole in- 
habitants of every description that lived under 
Biederman’s roof, sat down to a plentiful repast 
of goat’s flesh, fish, preparations of milk of various 
kinds, cheese, and, for the upper mess, the venison 
of a young chamois. The Landamman himself did 
the honours of the table with great kindness and 
simplicity, and urged the strangers to show, by 
their appetite, that they thought themselves as 
welcome as he desired to make them. During the 
repast, he carried on a conversation with his elder 
guest, while the younger people at table, as well 
as the menials, ate in modesty and silence. Ere 
the dinner was finished, a figure crossed on the 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


57 


outside of the large window which lighted the 
eating-hall, the sight of which seemed to occasion 
a lively sensation amongst such as observed it. 

“ Who passed ? ” said old Biederman to those 
seated opposite to the window. 

"It is our cousin, Rudolph of Donnerhugel, ” 
answered one of Arnold’s sons eagerly. 

The annunciation seemed to give great pleasure to 
the younger part of the company, especially the 
sons of the Landamman; while the head of the 
family only said with a grave, calm voice, — 
“ Your kinsman is welcome — tell him so, and let 
him come hither.” 

Two or three arose for this purpose, as if there 
had been a contention among them who should do 
the honours of the house to the new guest. He 
entered presently — a young man, unusually tall, 
well-proportioned and active, with a quantity of 
dark -brown locks curling around his face, together 
with mustaches of the same, or rather a still 
darker hue. His cap was small considering the 
quantity of his thickly clustering hair, and rather 
might be said to hang upon one side of his head 
than to cover it. His clothes were of the same 
form and general fashion as those of Arnold, but 
made of much finer cloth, the manufacture of the 
German loom, and ornamented in a rich and fan- 
ciful manner. One sleeve of his vest was dark 
green, curiously laced and embroidered with de- 
vices in silver, while the rest of the garment was 
scarlet. His sash was twisted and netted with 
gold, and besides answering the purpose of a belt, 
by securing the upper garment round his waist, 
sustained a silver-hilted poniard. His finery was 
completed by boots, the tips of which were so long 


I 


58 ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 

as to turn upwards with a peak, after a prevailing 
fashion in the Middle Ages. A golden chain hung 
round his neck, and sustained a large medallion of 
the same metal. 

This young gallant was instantly surrounded by 
the race of Biederman, among whom he appeared 
to be considered as the model upon which the 
Swiss youth ought to build themselves, and whose 
gait, opinions, dress, and manners all ought to 
follow who would keep pace with the fashion of 
the day, in which he reigned an acknowledged and 
unrivalled example. 

By two persons in the company, however, it 
seemed to Arthur Philipson that this young man 
was received with less distinguished marks of 
regard than those with which he was hailed by 
the general voice of the youths present. Arnold 
Biederman himself was at least no way warm 
in welcoming the young Bernese, for such was 
Rudolph’s country. The young man drew from 
his bosom a sealed packet, which he delivered to 
the Landamman with demonstrations of great re- 
spect, and seemed to expect that Arnold, when he 
had broken the seal and perused the contents, 
would say something to him on the subject. But 
the patriarch only bade him be seated, and partake 
of their meal, and Rudolph found a place accord- 
ingly next to Anne of Geierstein, which was 
yielded to him by one of the sons of Arnold with 
ready courtesy. 

It seemed also to the observant young English- 
man, that the new comer was received with 
marked coldness by the maiden, to whom he ap- 
peared eager and solicitous to pay his compli- 
ments, by whose side he had contrived to seat 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


59 


himself at the well-furnished board, and to whom 
he seemed more anxious to recommend himself, 
than to partake of the food which it offered. He 
observed the gallant whisper her, and look towards 
him. Anne gave a very brief reply, but one of 
the young Biedermans, who sat on his other hand, 
was probably more communicative, as the youths 
both laughed, and the maiden again seemed dis- 
concerted, and blushed with displeasure. 

“ Had I either of these sons of the mountain, ” 
thought young Philipson, “ upon six yards of level 
greensward, if there be so much flat ground in this 
country, methinks I were more likely to spoil 
their mirth than to furnish food for it. It is as 
marvellous to see such conceited boors under the 
same roof with so courteous and amiable a damsel, 
as it would be to see one of their shaggy bears 
dance a rigadoon with a maiden like the daughter 
of our host. Well, I need not concern myself 
more than I can help about her beauty or their 
breeding, since morning will separate me from 
them for ever. ” 

As these reflections passed through the young 
guest’s mind, the father of the family called for 
a cup of wine, -and having required the two 
strangers to pledge him in a maple cup of con- 
siderable size, he sent a similar goblet to Eudolph 
Donnerhugel. “ Yet you, ” he said, “ kinsman, 
are used to more highly flavoured wine than the 
half-ripened grapes of Geierstein can supply. — 
Would you think it, Sir Merchant, ” he continued, 
addressing Philipson, “ there are burghers of Berne 
who send for wine for their own drinking both to 
France and Germany ? ” 

“ My kinsman disapproves of that, ” replied 


6o 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


Eudolph ; “ yet every place is not blessed with 
vineyards like Geierstein, which produces all that 
heart and eye can desire. ” This was said with a 
glance at his fair companion, who did not appear 
to take the compliment, while the envoy of Berne 
proceeded : “ But our wealthier burghers, having 
some superfluous crowns, think it no extravagance 
to barter them for a goblet of better wine than our 
own mountains can produce. But we will be 
more frugal when we have at our disposal tuns of 
the wine of Burgundy, for the mere trouble of 
transporting them.” 

“ How mean you by that, cousin Rudolph ? ” 
said Arnold Biederman. 

“ Methinks, respected kinsman, ” answered the 
Bernese, “ your letters must have told you that our 
Diet is likely to declare war against Burgundy ? ” 

“ Ah ! And you know, then, the contents of my 
letters ? ” said Arnold ; “ another mark how times 
are changed at Berne, and with the Diet of Swit- 
zerland. When did all her grey-haired statesmen 
die, that our allies should have brought beardless 
boys into their councils ? ” 

“ The Senate of Berne, and the Diet of the Con- 
federacy, ” said the young man, partly abashed, 
partly in vindication of what he had before spoken, 
“ allow the young men to know their purposes, 
since it is they by whom they must be executed. 
The head which thinks may well confide in the 
hand that strikes.” 

“ Not till the moment of dealing the blow, 
young man, ” said Arnold Biederman, sternly. 
“ What kind of counsellor is he who talks loosely 
the secrets of state affairs before women and 
strangers? Go, Rudolph, and all of ye, and try 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 6r 

by manly exercises which is best fitted to serve 
your country, rather than give your judgment upon 
her measures. — Hold, young man, ” he continued, 
addressing Arthur, who had arisen, “ this does not 
apply to you, who are unused to mountain travel, 
and require rest after it. ” 

“ Under your favour, sir, not so,” said the elder 
stranger. “ We hold, in England, that the best 
refreshment after we have been exhausted by one 
species of exercise is to betake ourselves to another ; 
as riding, for example, affords more relief to one 
fatigued by walking, than a bed of down would. 
So, if your young men will permit, my son will 
join their exercises. ” 

“ He will find them rough playmates, ” answered 
the Switzer ; “ but be it at your pleasure. ” 

The young men went out accordingly to the open 
lawn in front of the house. Anne of Geierstein, 
and some females of the household, sat down on a 
bank to judge which performed best, and shouts, 
loud laughing, and all that announces the riot 
of juvenile spirits occupied by manly sports, was 
soon after heard by the two seniors, as they sat 
together in the hall. The master of the house 
resumed the wine=flask, and, having filled the cup 
of his guest, poured the remainder into his own. 

“ At an age, worthy stranger, ” he said, “ when 
the blood grows colder, and the feelings heavier, 
a moderate cup of wine brings back light thoughts, 
and makes the limbs supple. Yet, I almost wish 
that Noah had never planted the grape, when of 
late years I have seen with my own eyes my 
countrymen swill wine like very Germans, till 
they were like gorged swine, incapable of sense, 
thought, or motion. ” 


62 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


“ It is a vice, ” said the Englishman, “ which I 
have observed gains ground in your country, where 
within a century I have heard it was totally 
unknown. ” 

“ It was so, ” said the Swiss, “ for wine was 
seldom made at home, and never imported from 
abroad ; for indeed none possessed the means of 
purchasing that, or aught else, which our valleys 
produce not. But our wars and our victories have 
gained us wealth as well as fame ; and in the poor 
thoughts of one Switzer, at least, we had been 
better without both, had we not also gained liberty 
by the same exertion. It is something, however, 
that commerce may occasionally send into our 
remote mountains a sensible visitor like yourself, 
worthy guest, whose discourse shows him to be a 
man of sagacity and discernment ; for though I love 
not the increasing taste for trinkets and gewgaws 
which you merchants introduce, yet I acknowledge 
that we simple mountaineers learn from men like 
you more of the world around us, than we could 
acquire by our own exertions. You are bound, 
you say, to Bale, and thence to the Duke of 
Burgundy’s leaguer?” 

“ I am so, my worthy host, ” said the merchant 
— “ that is, providing I can perform my journey 
with safety. ” 

“ Your safety, good friend, may be assured, if 
you list to tarry for two or three days ; for in that 
space I shall myself take the journey, and with 
such an escort as will prevent any risk of danger. 
You will find in me a sure and faithful guide, and 
I shall learn from you much of other countries, 
which it concerns me to know better than I do. 
Is it a bargain ? ” 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


63 


“ The proposal is too much to my advantage to 
be refused, ” said the Englishman ; “ but may I 
ask the purpose of your journey ? ” 

“ I chid yonder boy but now, " answered Bie- 
derman, ** for speaking on public affairs without 
reflection, and before the whole family; but our 
tidings and my errand need not be concealed from 
a considerate person like you, who must indeed 
soon learn it from public rumour. You know 
doubtless the mutual hatred which subsists be- 
tween Louis XI. of France and Charles of Bur- 
gundy, whom men call the Bold ; and having seen 
these countries, as I understand from your former 
discourse, you are probably well aware of the 
various contending interests, which, besides the 
personal hatred of the sovereigns, make them irre- 
concilable enemies. Now Louis, whom the world 
cannot match for craft and subtlety, is using all 
his influence, by distributions of large sums 
amongst some of the counsellors of our neighbours 
of Berne, by pouring treasures into the exchequer 
of that state itself, by holding out the bait of 
emolument to the old men, and encouraging the 
violence of the young, to urge the Bernese into a 
war with the Duke. Charles, on the other hand, 
is acting, as he frequently does, exactly as Louis 
could have wished. Our neighbours and allies of 
Berne do not, like us of the Forest Cantons, confine 
themselves to pasture or agriculture, but carry on 
considerable commerce, which the Duke of Bur- 
gundy has in various instances interrupted, by 
the exactions and violence of his officers in the 
frontier towns, as is doubtless well known to you. ” 
“ Unquestionably, ” answered the merchant ; 
“ they are universally regarded as vexatious. ” 


64 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


“ You will not then be surprised, that, solicited 
by the one sovereign, and aggrieved by the other, 
proud of past victories, and ambitious of additional 
power, Berne and the City Cantons of our con- 
federacy, whose representatives, from their supe- 
rior wealth and better education, have more to say 
in our Diet than we of the Forests, should be bent 
upon war, from which it has hitherto happened 
that the Republic has always derived victory, 
wealth, and increase of territory. " 

“ Ay, worthy host, and of glory, ” said Philip- 
son, interrupting him with some enthusiasm ; “ I 
wonder not that the brave youths of your states 
are willing to thrust themselves upon new wars, 
since their past victories have been so brilliant 
and so far-famed. * 

“ You are no wise merchant, kind guest, ” an- 
swered the host, “ if you regard success in former 
desperate undertakings as an encouragement to 
future rashness. Let us make a better use of past 
victories. When we fought for our liberties God 
blessed our arms ; but will He do so if we fight 
either for aggrandisement or for the gold of 
France ? ” 

“ Your doubt is just, ” said the merchant, more 
sedately ; “ but suppose you draw the sword to put 
an end to the vexatious exactions of Burgundy ? ” 

“ Hear me, good friend, ” answered the Switzer ; 
“ it may be that we of the Forest Cantons think 
too little of those matters of trade, which so much 
engross the attention of the burghers of Berne. 
Yet we will not desert our neighbours and allies in 
a just quarrel ; and it is well-nigh settled that a 
deputation shall be sent to the Duke of Burgundy 
to request redress. In this embassy the General 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


65 


Diet now assembled at Berne have requested that 
I should take some share ; and hence the journey 
in which I propose that you should accompany 
me. ” 

“ It will be much to my satisfaction to travel in 
your company, worthy host, ” said the Englishman. 
“ But, as I am a true man, methinks your port and 
figure resemble an envoy of defiance rather than a 
messenger of peace. ” 

“ And I too might say, ” replied the Switzer, 
“ that your language and sentiments, my honoured 
guest, rather belong to the sword than the measuring- 
wand. ” 

“ I was bred to the sword, worthy sir, before I 
took the cloth-yard in my hand, ” replied Philipson, 
smiling, “ and it may be I am still more partial 
to my old trade than wisdom would altogether 
recommend. ” 

“ I thought so, " said Arnold ; “ but then you 
fought most likely under your country’s banners 
against a foreign and national enemy; and in that 
case I will admit that war has something in it 
which elevates the heart above the due sense it 
should entertain of the calamity inflicted and en- 
dured by God’s creatures on each side. But the 
warfare in which I was engaged had no such gild- 
ing. It was the miserable war of Zurich, (c) where 
Switzers levelled their pikes against the bosoms of 
their own countrymen ; and quarter was asked and 
refused in the same kindly mountain language. 
Erom such remembrances your warlike recollec- 
tions are probably free. ” 

The merchant hung down his head and pressed 
his forehead with his hand, as one to whom the 
most painful thoughts were suddenly recalled. 

VOL. 1. — 5 


66 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


“ Alas ! ” he said, “ I deserve to feel the pain 
which your words inflict. What nation can know 
the woes of England that has not felt them — 
what eye can estimate them which has not seen a 
land torn and bleeding with the strife of two 
desperate factions, battles fought in every pro- 
vince, plains heaped with slain, and scaffolds 
drenched in blood! Even in your quiet valleys, 
methinks, you may have heard of the Civil Wars 
of England ? ” 

“I do indeed bethink me, ” said the Switzer, 
“ that England had lost her possessions in France 
during many years of bloody internal wars con- 
cerning the colour of a rose — was it not ? — But 
these are ended. ” 

“For the present,” answered Philipson, “it 
would seem so. ” 

As he spoke, there was a knock at the door ; the 
master of the house said, “ Come in ! ” the door 
opened, and, with the reverence which was ex- 
pected from young persons towards their elders in 
those pastoral regions, the fine form of Anne of 
Geierstein presented itself. 


CHAPTER IV. 


And now the well-known bow the master bore, 

Turn’d on all sides, and view’d it o’er and o’er ; 

Whilst some deriding, “ How he turns the bow ! 

Some other like it sure the man must know : 

Or else would copy — or in bows he deals ; 

Perhaps he makes them, or perhaps he steals.” 

Pope’s Homer's Odyssey. 


The fair maiden approached with the half-bashful 
half-important look which sits so well on a young 
housekeeper, when she is at once proud and 
ashamed of the matronly duties she is called upon 
to discharge, and whispered something in her 
uncle’s ear. 

“ And could not the idle-pated boys have brought 
their own errand — what is it they want that they 
cannot ask themselves, but must send thee to beg 
it for them ? Had it been anything reasonable, I 
should have heard it dinned into my ears by forty 
voices, so modest are our Swiss youths become 
nowadays. ” She stooped forward, and again whis- 
pered in his ear, as he fondly stroked her curling 
tresses with his ample hand, and replied, “ The 
bow of Buttisholz, my dear? Why, the youths 
surely are not grown stronger since last year, when 
none of them could bend it ? But yonder it hangs 
with its three arrows. Who is the wise champion 
that is challenger at a game where he is sure to 
be foiled ? ” 


/ 


68 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


“It is this gentleman’s son, sir,” said the 
maiden, “ who, not being able to contend with my 
cousins in running, leaping, hurling the bar, or 
pitching the stone, has challenged them to ride, or 
to shoot with the English long-bow.” 

“ To ride, ” said the venerable Swiss, “ were diffi- 
cult where there are no horses, and no level ground 
to career upon if there were. But an English bow 
he shall have, since we happen to possess one. 
Take it to the young men, my niece, with the 
three arrows, and say to them from me, that he 
who bends it will do more than William Tell, or 
the renowned Stauffacher, could have done. ” 

As the maiden went to take the weapon from 
the place where it hung amid the group of arms 
which Philipson had formerly remarked, the Eng- 
lish merchant observed, “ that were the minstrels 
of his land to assign her occupation, so fair a 
maiden should be bow-bearer to none but the little 
blind god Cupid. ” 

“ I will have nothing of the blind god Cupid, ” 
said Arnold, hastily, yet half laughing at the 
same time ; “ we have been deafened with the 
foolery of minstrels and strolling minnesingers, 
ever since the wandering knaves have found there 
were pence to be gathered among us. A Swiss 
maiden should only sing Albert Ischudi’s bal- 
lads, or the merry lay of the going out and 
return of the cows to and from the mountain 
pastures. ” 

While he spoke, the damsel had selected from the 
arms a bow of extraordinary strength, considerably 
above six feet in length, with three shafts of a 
cloth-yard long. Philipson asked to look at the 
weapons, and examined them closely. “ It is a 


ANNE 0 E GEIERSTEIN. 


69 

tough piece of yew, ” he said. “ I should know it, 
since I have dealt in such commodities in my time ; 
but when I was of Arthur’s age, I could have bent 
it as easily as a boy bends a willow. ” 

“We are too old to boast like boys, ” said Arnold 
Biederman, with something of a reproving glance 
at his companion. “ Carry the bow to thy kins- 
men, Anne, and let him who can bend it say he 
beat Arnold Biederman. ” As he spoke, he turned 
his eyes on the spare yet muscular figure of the 
Englishman, then again glanced down on his own 
stately person. 

“You must remember, good my host,” said 
Philipson, “ that weapons are wielded not by 
strength, but by art and sleight of hand. What 
most I wonder at, is to see in this place a bow 
made by Matthew of Doncaster, a bowyer who 
lived at least a hundred years ago, remarkable for 
the great toughness and strength of the weapons 
which he made, and which are now become some- 
what unmanageable, even by an English yeoman. ” 
“ How are you assured of the maker’s name, 
worthy guest ? ” replied the Swiss. 

“By old Matthew’s mark,” answered the Eng- 
lishman, “ and his initials cut upon the bow. I 
wonder not a little to find such a weapon here, 
and in such good preservation. ” 

“ It has been regularly waxed, oiled, ,and kept 
in good order, ” said the Landamman, “ being pre- 
served as a trophy of a memorable day. It would 
but grieve you to recount its early history, since 
it was taken in a day fatal to your country.” 

“ My country, ” said the Englishman, com- 
posedly, “ has gained so many victories, that her 
children may well afford to hear of a single defeat. 


7 o ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 

But I knew not that the English ever warred in 
Switzerland. ” 

“Not precisely as a nation,” answered Bieder- 
man; “but it was in my grandsire’s days, that 
a large body of roving soldiers, composed of men 
from almost all countries, but especially English- 
men, Normans, and Gascons, poured down on the 
Argau, and the districts adjacent. They were headed 
by a great warrior called Ingelram de Couci, who pre- 
tended some claims upon the Duke of Austria ; to 
satisfy which, he ravaged indifferently the Austrian 
territory and that of our Confederacy. His soldiers 
were hired warriors — Free Companions they called 
themselves — that seemed to belong to no country, 
and were as brave in the fight as they were cruel 
in their depredations. Some pause in the constant 
wars betwixt France and England had deprived 
many of those bands of their ordinary employ- 
ment, and battle being their element, they came 
to seek it among our valleys. The air seemed on 
fire with the blaze of their armour, and the very 
sun was darkened at the flight of their arrows. 
They did us much evil, and we sustained the loss 
of more than one battle. But we met them at 
Buttisholz, and mingled the blood of many a rider 
(noble, as they were called and esteemed) with 
that of their horses. The huge mound that covers 
the bones of man and steed is still called the 
English barrow. ” 

Philipson was silent for a minute or two, and 
then replied, “ Then let them sleep in peace. If 
they did wrong, they paid for it with their lives ; 
and that is all the ransom that mortal man can 
render for his transgressions. — Heaven pardon 
their souls ! ” 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


7 1 


“ Amen, ” replied the Landamman, “ and those 
of all brave men ! — My grandsire was at the 
battle, and was held to have demeaned himself 
like a good soldier; and this bow has been ever 
since carefully preserved in our family. There is 
a prophecy about it, but I hold it not worthy of 
remark. ” 

Philipson was about to inquire further, but 
was interrupted by a loud cry of surprise and 
astonishment from without. 

“ I must out, ” said Biederman, “ and see what 
these wild lads are doing. It is not now as for- 
merly in this land, when the young dared not 
judge for themselves, till the old man’s voice had 
been heard.” 

He went forth from the lodge, followed by his 
guest. The company who had witnessed the 
games were all talking, shouting, and disputing 
in the same breath ; while Arthur Philipson stood 
a little apart from the rest, leaning on the unbent 
bow with apparent indifference. At the sight of 
the Landamman all were silent. 

“ What means this unwonted clamour ? ” he 
said, raising a voice to which all were accustomed 
to listen with reverence. — “ Rudiger, ” addressing 
the eldest of his sons, “ has the young stranger 
bent the bow ? ” 

“ He has, father, ” said Rudiger ; “ and he has 
hit the mark. Three such shots were never shot 
by William Tell.” 

“ It was chance — pure chance, ” said the young 
Swiss from Berne. “No human skill could have 
done it, much less a puny lad, baffled in all be- 
sides that he attempted among us.” 

“ But what has been done ? ” said the Landam- 


72 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


man. — “Nay, speak not all at once! — Anne of 
Geierstein, thou hast more sense and breeding than 
these boys — tell me how the game has gone. ” 

The maiden seemed a little confused at this 
appeal, but answered with a composed and down- 
cast look — 

“ The mark was, as usual, a pigeon to a pole. 
All the young men, except the stranger, had prac- 
tised at it with the cross-bow and long-bow, with- 
out hitting it. When I brought out the bow of 
Buttisholz, I offered it first to my kinsmen. None 
would accept of it, saying, respected uncle, that 
a task too great for you must be far too difficult 
for them. * 

“ They said well, ” answered Arnold Biederman ; 
“ and the stranger, did he string the bow ? ” 

“ He did, my uncle, but first he wrote something 
on a piece of paper, and placed it in my hands. ” 

“ And did he shoot and hit the mark ? ” con- 
tinued the surprised Switzer. 

“ He first, ” said the maiden, “ removed the pole 
a hundred yards farther than the post where it 
stood. ” 

“ Singular ! ” said the Landamman, “ that is 
double the usual distance. ” 

“ He then drew the bow, ” continued the maiden, 

“ and shot off, one after another, with incredible 
rapidity, the three arrows which he had stuck into 
his belt. The first cleft the pole, the second cut 
the string, the third killed the poor bird as it rose 
into the air. ” 

“ By St. Mary of Einsiedlen, * said the old man, 
looking up in amaze, “ if your eyes really saw 
this, they saw such archery as was never before 
witnessed in the Forest States ! ” 


ANNE 0 E GEIERSTEIN. 


73 


“I say nay to that, my revered kinsman,” 
replied Rudolph Donnerhugel, whose vexation was 
apparent ; “ it was mere chance, if not illusion or 
witchery. ” 

“What say’st thou of it thyself, Arthur,” said 
his father, half smiling. “ Was thy success by 
chance or skill ? ” 

“ My father, ” said the young man, “ I need not 
tell you that I have done but an ordinary feat for 
an English bowman. Nor do I speak to gratify 
that misproud and ignorant young man. But to 
our worthy host and his family, I make answer. 
This youth charges me with having deluded men’s 
eyes, or hit the mark by chance. For illusion, 
yonder is the pierced pole, the severed string, and 
the slain bird, they will endure sight and hand- 
ling; and, besides, if that fair maiden will open 
the note which I put into her hand, she will 
find evidence to assure you, that even before I 
drew the bow, I had fixed upon the three marks 
which I designed to aim at. ” 

“ Produce the scroll, good niece, ” said her uncle, 
“ and end the controversy. ” 

“Nay, under your favour, my worthy host,” 
said Arthur, “ it is but some foolish rhymes ad- 
dressed to the maiden’s own eye. ” 

“ And under your favour, sir, ” said the Lan- 
damman, “ whatsoever is fit for my niece’s eyes 
may greet my ears. ” 

He took the scroll from the maiden, who blushed 
deeply when she resigned it. The character in 
which it was written was so fine, that the Lan- 
damman in surprise exclaimed, “No clerk of St. 
Gall could have written more fairly. — Strange, ” 
he again repeated, “ that a hand which could draw 


74 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


so true a bow, should have the cunning to form 
characters so fair.” He then exclaimed anew, 
“ Ha . verses, by Our Lady ! What, have we min- 
strels disguised as traders ? ” He then opened the 
scroll, and read the following lines: — 

If I hit mast, and line, and bird, 

An English archer keeps his word. 

Ah ! maiden, didst thou aim at me, 

A single glance were worth the three. 

“ Here is rare rhyming, my worthy guest, ” said 
the Landamman, shaking his head ; “ fine words 
to make foolish maidens fain. But do not excuse 
it ; it is your country-fashion, and we know how 
to treat it as such. ” And without further allusion 
to the concluding couplet, the reading of which 
threw the poet as well as the object of the verses 
into some discomposure, he added gravely, “ You 
must now allow, Rudolph Donnerhugel, that the 
stranger has fairly attained the three marks which 
he proposed to himself. ” 

“ That he has attained them is plain, ” answered 
the party to whom the appeal was made ; “ but 
that he has done this fairly may be doubted, if 
there are such things as witchery and magic in 
this world. ” 

“ Shame, shame, Rudolph ! ” said the Landam- 
man. “ Can spleen and envy have weight with 
so brave a man as you, from whom my sons ought 
to learn temperance, forbearance, and candour, as 
well as manly courage and dexterity ? ” 

The Bernese coloured high under this rebuke, to 
which he ventured not to attempt a reply. 

“ To your sports till sunset, my children, ” con- 
tinued Arnold ; “ while I and my worthy friend 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


75 


occupy our time with a walk, for which the evening 
is now favourable. ” 

“ Methinks, ” said the English merchant, “ I 
should like to visit the ruins of yonder castle, 
situated by the waterfall. There is something of 
melancholy dignity in such a scene which recon- 
ciles us to the misfortunes of our own time, by 
showing that pur ancestors, who were perhaps 
more intelligent or more powerful, have neverthe- 
less, in their days, encountered cares and distresses 
similar to those which we now groan under. ” 

“ Have with you, my worthy sir, ” replied his 
host ; “ there will be time also upon the road to 
talk of things that you should know. ” 

The slow step of the two elderly men carried 
them by degrees from the limits of the lawn, 
where shout and laugh and halloo were again 
revived. Young Philipson, whose success as an 
archer had obliterated all recollection of former 
failure, made other attempts to mingle in the 
manly pastimes of the country, and gained a con- 
siderable portion of applause. The young men, 
who had but lately been so ready to join in ridi- 
culing him, now began to consider him as a person 
to be looked up and appealed to ; while Rudolph 
Donnerhugel saw with resentment that he was no 
longer without a rival in the opinion of his male 
cousins, perhaps of his kinswoman also The proud 
young Swiss reflected with bitterness that he had 
fallen under the Landamman’s displeasure, de- 
clined in reputation with his companions, of whom 
he had been hitherto the leader, and even hazarded 
a more mortifying disappointment, all, as his 
swelling heart expressed it, through the means of 
a stranger stripling, of neither blood nor fame, who 


76 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


could not step from one rock to another without 
the encouragement of a girl. 

In this irritated mood, he drew near the young 
Englishman, and while he seemed to address him 
on the chances of the sports which were still pro- 
ceeding, he conveyed, in a whisper, matter of a 
far different tendency. Striking Arthur’s shoulder 
with the frank bluntness of a mountaineer, he said 
aloud : “ Yonder bolt of Ernest whistled through 
the air like a falcon when she stoops down the 
wind ! ” and then proceeded in a deep low voice, 
“ You merchants sell gloves — do you ever deal in 
single gauntlets, or only in pairs ? ” 

“ I sell no single glove, ” said Arthur, instantly 
apprehending him, and sufficiently disposed to 
resent the scornful looks of the Bernese champion 
during the time of their meal, and his having but 
lately imputed his successful shooting to chance or 
sorcery, — “I sell no single glove, sir, but never 
refuse to exchange one. ” 

“ You are apt, I see,” said Rudolph. “ Look at 
the players while I speak, or our purpose will be 
suspected. — You are quicker, I say, of apprehen- 
sion than I expected. If we exchange our gloves, 
how shall each redeem his own ? ” 

* With our good swords, ” said Arthur Philipson. 

“ In armour, or as we stand ? ” 

“ Even as we stand, ” said Arthur. “ I have no 
better garment of proof than this doublet — no 
other weapon than my sword; and these, Sir 
Switzer, I hold enough for the purpose. — Name 
time and place. ” 

“ The old castle-court at Geierstein, ” replied Ru- 
dolph ; “ the time sunrise ; — but we are watched. 
— I have lost my wager, stranger,” he added. 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


77 


speaking aloud, and in an indifferent tone of voice, 
“ since Ulrick has made a cast beyond Ernest. — 
There is my glove, in token I shall not forget the 
flask of wine. ” 

“ And there is mine, ” said Arthur, “ in token I 
will drink it with you merrily. " 

Thus, amid the peaceful though rough sports of 
their companions, did these two hot-headed youths 
contrive to indulge their hostile inclinations to- 
wards each other, by settling a meeting of deadly 
purpose. 


CHAPTER V. 


I was one 

Who loved the greenwood bank and lowing herd, 

The russet prize, the lowly peasant’s life, 

Season’d with sweet content, more than the halls 
Where revellers feast to fever-height. Believe me, 

There ne’er was poison mix’d in maple bowl. 

Anonymous. 

Leaving the young persons engaged with their 
sports, the Landamman of Unterwalden and the 
elder Philipson walked on in company, conversing 
chiefly on the political relations of France, Eng- 
land, and Burgundy, until the conversation was 
changed as they entered the gate of the old castle- 
yard of Geierstein, where arose the lonely and 
dismantled keep, surrounded by the ruins of other 
buildings. 

“ This has been a proud and a strong habitation 
in its time,” said Philipson. 

“ They were a proud and powerful race who held 
it, ” replied the Landamman. “ The Counts of 
Geierstein have a history which runs back to the 
times of the old Helvetians, and their deeds are 
reported to have matched their antiquity. But all 
earthly grandeur has an end, and free men tread 
the ruins of their feudal castle, at the most distant 
sight of whose turrets serfs were formerly obliged 
to vail their bonnets, if they would escape the 
chastisement of contumacious rebels. ” 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


79 


“ I observe, ” said the merchant, “ engraved on 
a stone under yonder turret, the crest, I conceive, 
of the last family, a vulture perched on a rock, 
descriptive, doubtless, of the word Geierstein. ” 
“It is the ancient cognisance of the family, ” 
replied Arnold Biederman, “ and, as you say, 
expresses the name of the castle, being the 
same with that of the knights who so long held 
it.” 

“ I also remarked in your hall, ” continued the 
merchant, “ a helmet bearing the same crest or 
cognisance. It is, I suppose, a trophy of the tri- 
umph of the Swiss peasants over the nobles of 
Geierstein, as the English bow is preserved in 
remembrance of the battle of Buttisholz ? ” 

“ And you, fair sir, ” replied the Landamman, 
“ would, I perceive, from the prejudices of your 
education, regard the one victory with as un- 
pleasant feelings as the other ? — Strange, that the 
veneration for rank should be rooted even in the 
minds of those who have no claim to share it! 
But clear up your downcast brows, my worthy 
guest, and be assured, that though many a proud 
baron’s castle, >vhen Switzerland threw off the 
bonds of feudal slavery, was plundered and de- 
stroyed by the just vengeance of an incensed 
people, such was not the lot of Geierstein. The 
blood of the old possessors of these towers still 
flows in the veins of him by whom these lands 
are occupied. ” 

“ What am I to understand by that, Sir Lan- 
damman ? ” said Philipson. “ Are not you your- 
self the occupant of this place ? ” 

“ And you think, probably, ” answered Arnold, 
“ because I live like the other shepherds, wear 


8o 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


homespun grey, and hold the plough with my 
own hands, I cannot be descended from a line 
of ancient nobility ? This land holds many such 
gentle peasants, Sir Merchant ; nor is there a more 
ancient nobility than that of which the remains 
are to be found in my native country. But they 
have voluntarily resigned the oppressive part of 
their feudal power, and are no longer regarded as 
wolves amongst the flock, but as sagacious mas- 
tiffs, who attend the sheep in time of peace, and 
are prompt in their defence when war threatens 
our community. ” 

“ But, ” repeated the merchant, who could not 
yet reconcile himself to the idea that his plain 
and peasant-seeming host was a man of distin- 
guished birth, “ you bear not the name, worthy 
sir, of your fathers — They were, you say, the 
Counts of Geierstein, and you are” 

“ Arnold Biederman, at your command, ” an- 
swered the magistrate. “ But know, — if the 
knowledge can make you sup with more sense of 
dignity or comfort, — I need but put on yonder old 
helmet, or, if that were too much trouble, I have 
only to stick a falcon’s feather into my cap, and 
call myself Arnold, Count of Geierstein. No man 
could gainsay me — though whether it would 
become my Lord Count to drive his bullocks to the 
pasture, and whether his Excellency the High and 
Well-born could, without derogation, sow a field 
or reap it, are questions which should be settled 
beforehand. I see you are confounded, my re- 
spected guest, at my degeneracy ; but the state of 
my family is very soon explained. 

“ My lordly fathers ruled this same domain of 
Geierstein, which in their time was very extensive, 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


81 


much after the mode of feudal barons — that is, 
they were sometimes the protectors and patrons, 
but oftener the oppressors of their subjects. But 
when my grandfather, Heinrich of Geierstein, 
flourished, he not only joined the Confederates to 
repel Ingleram de Couci and his roving bands, as 
I already told you, but, when the wars with 
Austria were renewed, and many of his degree 
joined with the host of the Emperor Leopold, my 
ancestor adopted the opposite side, fought in front 
of the Confederates, and contributed by his skill 
and valour to the decisive victory at Sempach, in 
which Leopold lost his life, and the flower of 
Austrian chivalry fell around him. My father, 
Count Willie wald, followed the same course, both 
from inclination and policy. He united himself 
closely with the state of Unterwalden, became a 
citizen of the Confederacy, and distinguished him- 
self so much, that he was chosen Landamman of 
the Republic. He had two sons, — myself, and a 
younger brother, Albert ; and possessed, as he felt 
himself, of a species of double character, he was 
desirous, perhaps unwisely (if I may censure the 
purpose of a deceased parent), that one of his sons 
should succeed him in his Lordship of Geier- 
stein, and the other support the less ostentatious, 
though not in my thought less honourable condi- 
tion, of a free citizen of Unterwalden, possessing 
such influence among his equals in the Canton as 
might be acquired by his father’s merits and his 
own. When Albert was twelve years old, our 
father took us on a short excursion to Germany, 
where the form, pomp, and magnificence which 
we witnessed made a very different impression on 
the mind of my brother and on my own. What 

VOL. I. — 6 


82 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


appeared to Albert the consummation of earthly 
splendour seemed to me a weary display of tire- 
some and useless ceremonials. Our father ex- 
plained his purpose, and offered to me, as his 
eldest son, the large estate belonging to Geierstein, 
reserving such a portion of the most fertile ground 
as might make my brother one of the wealthiest 
citizens, in a district where competence is esteemed 
wealth. The tears gushed from Albert’s eyes — 
'And must my brother, ’ he said, ‘be a noble Count, 
honoured and followed by vassals and attendants, 
and I a homespun peasant among the grey -bearded 
shepherds of Unterwalden ? — No, father — I re- 
spect your will — but I will not sacrifice my own 
rights. Geierstein is a fief held of the empire, and 
the laws entitle me to my equal half of the lands. 
If my brother be Count of Geierstein, I am not 
the less Count Albert of Geierstein; and I will 
appeal to the Emperor, rather than that the arbi- 
trary will of one ancestor, though he be my father, 
shall cancel in me the rank and rights which I 
have derived from a hundred. ’ My father was 
greatly incensed. ‘Go,’ he said, ‘proud boy, give 
the enemy of thy country a pretext to interfere in 
her affairs — appeal to the will of a foreign prince 
from the pleasure of thy father. Go, but never 
again look me in the face, and dread my eternal 
malediction ! ’ Albert was about to reply with 
vehemence, when I entreated him to be silent and 
hear me speak. I had, I said, all my life loved 
the mountain better than the plain; had been 
more pleased to walk than to ride ; more proud to 
contend with shepherds in their sports, than with 
nobles in the lists; and happier in the village 
dance than among the feasts of the German nobles. 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


83 


‘Let me, therefore/ I said, ‘be a citizen of the 
republic of Unterwalden ; you will relieve me of 
a thousand cares ; and let my brother Albert wear 
the coronet and bear the honours of Geierstein/ 
After some further discussion, my father was at 
length contented to adopt my proposal, in order 
to attain the object which he had so much at 
heart. Albert was declared heir of his castle and 
his rank, by the title of Count Albert of Geier- 
stein; and I was placed in possession of these 
fields and fertile meadows amidst which my house, 
is situated, and my neighbours called me Arnold 
Biederman. ” 

“ And if Biederman, ” said the merchant, “ means, 
as I understand the word, a man of worth, candour, 
and generosity, I know none on whom the epithet 
could be so justly conferred. Yet let me observe, 
that I praise the conduct which, in your circum- 
stances, I could not have bowed my spirit to 
practise. Proceed, I pray you, with the history 
of your house, if the recital be not painful to 
you. * 

“ I have little more to say, ” replied the Lan- 
damman. “ My father died soon after the settle- 
ment of his estate in the manner I have told you. 
My brother had other possessions in Swabia and 
Westphalia, and seldom visited his paternal castle, 
which was chiefly occupied by a seneschal, a man 
so obnoxious to the vassals of the family, that but 
for the protection afforded by my near residence, 
and relationship with his lord, he would have been 
plucked out of the Vulture’s Nest, and treated 
with as little ceremony as if he had been the vul- 
ture himself. Neither, to say the truth, did my 
brother’s occasional visits to Geierstein afford his 


8 4 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


vassals much relief, or acquire any popularity for 
himself. He heard with the ears and saw with 
the eyes of his cruel and interested steward, Ital 
Schreckenwald, and would not listen even to my 
interference and admonition. Indeed, though he 
always demeaned himself with personal kindness 
towards me, I believe he considered me as a dull 
and poor-spirited clown, who had disgraced my 
noble blood by my mean propensities. He showed 
contempt on every occasion for the prejudices of 
his countrymen, and particularly by wearing a 
peacock’s feather in public, and causing his fol- 
lowers to display the same badge, though the 
cognisance of the House of Austria, and so un- 
popular in this country, that men have been put 
to death for no better reason than for carrying it 
in their caps. In the meantime I was married to 
my Bertha, now a saint in Heaven, by whom I 
had six stately sons, five of whom you saw sur- 
rounding my table this day. Albert also married. 
His wife was a lady of rank in Westphalia, but 
his bridal-bed was less fruitful ; he had only one 
daughter, Anne of Geierstein. Then came on the 
wars between the city of Zurich and our Forest 
Cantons, in which so much blood was shed, and 
when our brethren of Zurich were so ill advised as 
to embrace the alliance of Austria. Their Emperor 
strained every nerve to avail himself of the favour- 
able opportunity afforded by the disunion of the 
Swiss, and engaged all with whom he had in- 
fluence to second his efforts. With my brother he 
was but too successful; for Albert not only took 
arms in the Emperor’s cause, but admitted into 
the strong fortress of Geierstein a band of Austrian 
soldiers, with whom the wicked Ital Schreckenwald 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 85 

laid waste the whole country, excepting my little 
patrimony. ” 

“ It came to a severe pass with you, my worthy 
host, ” said the merchant, “ since you were to 
decide against the cause of your country or that 
of your brother. ” 

“ I did not hesitate, ” continued Arnold Bieder- 
man. “ My brother was in the Emperor’s army, 
and I was not therefore reduced to act personally 
against him ; but I denounced war against the 
robbers and thieves with whom Schreckenwald had 
filled my father’s house. It was waged with va- 
rious fortune. The seneschal, during my absence, 
burnt down my house, and slew my youngest son, 
who died, alas ! in defence of his father’s hearth. 
It is little to add that my lands were wasted and 
my flocks destroyed. On the other hand, I suc- 
ceeded, with help of a body of the peasants of 
Unterwalden, in storming the Castle of Geierstein. 
It was offered back to me by the Confederates ; but 
I had no desire to sully the fair cause in which I 
had assumed arms, by enriching myself at the 
expense of my brother ; and besides, to have dwelt 
in that guarded hold would have been a penance to 
one the sole protectors of whose house of late years 
had been a latch and a shepherd’s cur. The castle 
was therefore dismantled, as you see, by order of 
the elders of the Canton ; and I even think that, 
considering the uses it was too often put to, I look 
with more pleasure on the rugged remains of 
Geierstein, than I ever did when it was entire, 
and apparently impregnable. ” 

“ I can understand your feelings, ” said the Eng- 
lishman, “ though I repeat, my virtue would not 
perhaps have extended so far beyond the circle of 


86 


ANNE OE GEIERSTElfrJ. 


my family affections. — Your brother, what said 
he to your patriotic exertions ? * 

“ He was, as I learnt, ” answered the Landam- 
man, “ dreadfully incensed, having no doubt been 
informed that I had taken his castle with a view 
to my own aggrandisement. He even swore he 
would renounce my kindred, seek me through the 
battle, and slay me with his own hand. We were, 
in fact, both at the battle of Freyenbach, but my 
brother was prevented from attempting the execu- 
tion of his vindictive purpose by a wound from an 
arrow, which occasioned his being carried out of 
the melee. I was afterwards in the bloody and 
melancholy fight at Mount-Herzel, and that other 
onslaught at the Chapel of St. Jacob, ( d ) which 
brought our brethren of Zurich to terms, and 
reduced Austria once more to the necessity of 
making peace with us. After this war of thirteen 
years, the Diet passed sentence of banishment for 
life on my brother Albert, and would have deprived 
him of his possessions, but forbore in consideration 
of what they thought my good service. When the 
sentence was intimated to the Count of Geierstein, 
he returned an answer of defiance ; yet a singular 
circumstance showed us not long afterwards that 
he retained an attachment to his country, and 
amidst his resentment against me, his brother, did 
justice to my unaltered affection for him. ” 

“ I would pledge my credit, ” said the merchant, 

“ that what follows relates to yonder fair maiden, 
your niece ? ” 

“You guess rightly,” said the Landamman. 

“ For some time we heard, though indistinctly (for 
we have, as you know, but little communication 
with foreign countries), that my brother was high 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


87 


in favour at the court of the Emperor, hut latterly 
that he had fallen under suspicion, and, in the 
course of some of those revolutions common at the 
courts of princes, had been driven into exile. It 
was shortly after this news, and, as I think, more 
than seven years ago, that I was returning from 
hunting on the farther side of the river, had 
passed the narrow bridge as usual, and was walk- 
ing through the courtyard which we have lately 
left ” (for their walk was now turned homeward), 
“ when a voice said, in the German language, 
‘Uncle, have compassion upon me! * As I looked 
around, I beheld a girl of ten years old approach 
timidly from the shelter of the ruins, and kneel 
down at my feet. ‘Uncle, spare my life,’ she 
said, holding up her little hands in the act of sup- 
plication, while mortal terror was painted upon 
her countenance. — ‘Am I your uncle, little 
maiden?’ said I; ‘and if I am, why should you 
fear me?’ — ‘Because you are the head of the 
wicked and base clowns who delight to spill noble 
blood,’ replied the girl, with a courage which 
surprised me. — ‘What is your name, my little 
maiden?’ said I; ‘and who, having planted in 
your mind opinions so unfavourable to your kins- 
man, has brought you hither, to see if he resembles 
the picture you have received of him ? ’ — ‘It 
was Ital Schreckenwald that brought me hither, ’ 
said the girl, only half comprehending the nature 
of my question. — ‘Ital Schreckenwald?’ I re- 
peated, shocked at the name of a wretch I have so 
much reason to hate. A voice from the ruins, 
like that of a sullen echo from the grave, answered, 
‘Ital Schreckenwald! ’ and the caitiff issued from 
his place of concealment, and stood before me, 


88 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


with that singular indifference to danger which 
he unites to his atrocity of character. I had my 
spiked mountain-staff in my hand — What should 
I have done — or what would you have done, under 
like circumstances ? ” 

“ I would have laid him on the earth, with his 
skull shivered like an icicle ! ” said the English- 
man, fiercely. 

“ I had well-nigh done so, ” replied the Swiss, 
“ but he was unarmed, a messenger from my 
brother, and therefore no object of revenge. His 
own undismayed and audacious conduct contri- 
buted to save him. 'Let the vassal of the noble 
and high-born Count of Geierstein hear the words 
of his master, and let him look that they are 
obeyed, * said the insolent ruffian. ‘Doff thy cap, 
and listen; for though the voice is mine, the 
words are those of the noble Count.’ — ‘God and 
man know,’ replied I, ‘if I owe my brother 
respect or homage — it is much if, in respect for 
him, I defer paying to his messenger the meed I 
dearly owe him. Proceed with thy tale, and rid 
me of thy hateful presence. ’ — ‘Albert Count of 
Geierstein, thy lord and my lord,’ proceeded 
Schreckenwald, ‘ having on his hand wars, and 
other affairs of weight, sends his daughter, the 
Countess Anne, to thy charge, and graces thee so 
far as to intrust to thee her support and nurture, 
until it shall suit his purposes to require her back 
from thee ; and he desires that thou apply to her 
maintenance the rents and profits of the lands of 
Geierstein, which thou hast usurped from him. ’ — 
‘Ital Schreckenwald,’ I replied, ‘I will not stop 
to ask if this mode of addressing me be according 
to my brother’s directions, or thine own insolent 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


89 

pleasure. If circumstances have, as thou sayest, 
deprived my niece of her natural protector, I will 
be to her as a father, nor shall she want aught 
which I have to give her. The lands of Geierstein 
are forfeited to the state, the castle is ruinous, as 
thou seest, and it is much of thy crimes that the 
house of my fathers is desolate. But where I 
dwell Anne of Geierstein shall dwell, as my 
children fare shall she fare, and she shall be to 
me as a daughter. And now thou hast thine 
errand — Go hence, if thou lovest thy life; for it 
is unsafe parleying with the father, when thy 
hands are stained with the blood of the son. * 
The wretch retired as I spoke, but took his leave 
with his usual determined insolence of manner. — 
‘Farewell,’ he said, ‘Count of the Plough and 
Harrow — farewell, noble companion of paltry 
burghers ! ’ He disappeared, and released me from 
the strong temptation under which I laboured, and 
which urged me to stain with his blood the place 
which had witnessed his cruelty and his crimes. 
I conveyed my niece to my house, and soon con- 
vinced her that I was her sincere friend. I inured 
her, as if she had been my daughter, to all our 
mountain exercises ; and while she excels in these 
the damsels of the district, there burst from her 
such sparkles of sense and courage, mingled with 
delicacy, as belong not — I must needs own the 
truth — to the simple maidens of these wild hills, 
but relish of a nobler stem, and higher breeding. 
Yet they are so happily mixed with simplicity 
and courtesy, that Anne of Geierstein is justly 
considered as the pride of the district; nor do I 
doubt but that, if she should make a worthy 
choice of a husband, the state would assign her a 


9 o 


ANNE 0E GEIERSTEIN. 


large dower out of her father’s possessions, since 
it is not our maxim to punish the child for the 
faults of the parent.” 

“ It will naturally be your anxious desire, my 
worthy host, ” replied the Englishman, “ to secure 
to your niece, in whose praises I have deep cause 
to join with a grateful voice, such a suitable 
match as her birth and expectations, but above all 
her merit, demand. ” 

“ It is, my good guest, ” said the Landamman, 
“ that which hath often occupied my thoughts. 
The over-near relationship prohibits what would 
have been my most earnest desire, the hope of 
seeing her wedded to one of my own sons. This 
young man, Rudolph Donnerhugel, is brave, and 
highly esteemed by his fellow-citizens ; but more 
ambitious, and more desirous of distinction, than 
I would desire for my niece’s companion through 
life. His temper is violent, though his heart, I 
trust, is good. But I am like to be unpleasantly 
released from all care on this score, since my 
brother, having, as it seemed, forgotten Anne for 
seven years and upwards, has, by a letter which I 
have lately received, demanded that she shall be 
restored to him. — You can read, my worthy sir, 
for your profession requires it. See, here is the 
scroll, coldly worded, but far less unkindly than 
his unbrotherly message by Ital Schreckenwald — 
Read it, I pray you, aloud. ” 

The merchant read accordingly. 

“ Brother — I thank you for the care you have taken 
of my daughter, for she has been in safety when she 
would otherwise have been in peril, and kindly used, 
when she would have been in hardship. I now entreat 


ANNE 0 E GEIERSTEIN. 


9i 

you to restore her to me, and trust that she will come 
with the virtues which become a woman in every 
station, and a disposition to lay aside the habits of a 
Swiss villager, for the graces of a high-born maiden. — 
Adieu. I thank you once more for your care, and 
would repay it were it in my power; hut you need 
nothing I can give, having renounced the rank to 
which you were horn, and made your nest on the 
ground where the storm passes over you. I rest your 
brother, “ Geierstein.” 

“ It is addressed ‘to Count Arnold of Geierstein, 
called Arnold Biederman. ’ A postscript requires 
you to send the maiden to the court of the Duke 
of Burgundy. — This, good sir, appears to me 
the language of a haughty man, divided betwixt 
the recollection of old offence and recent obliga- 
tion. The speech of his messenger was that 
of a malicious vassal, desirous of venting his 
own spite under pretence of doing his lord’s 
errand. ” 

“ I so receive both, ” replied Arnold Biederman. 

“ And do you intend, ” continued the merchant, 
“ to resign this beautiful and interesting creature 
to the conduct of her father, wilful as he seems 
to be, without knowing what his condition is, or 
what his power of protecting her ? ” 

The Landamman hastened tp reply. “ The tie 
which unites the parent to the child is the earliest 
and the most hallowed that binds the human 
race. The difficulty of her travelling in safety has 
hitherto prevented my attempting to carry my 
brother’s instructions into execution. But as I 
am now likely to journey in person towards the 
court of Charles, I have determined that Anne 


92 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


shall accompany me; and as I will myself con- 
verse with my brother, whom I have not seen for 
many years, I shall learn his purpose respecting 
his daughter, and it may be I may prevail on 
Albert to suffer her to remain under my charge. — 
And now, sir, having told you of my family affairs 
at some greater length than was necessary, I must 
crave your attention, as a wise man, to what 
further I have to say. You know the disposition 
which young men and women naturally have to 
talk, jest, and sport with each other, out of which 
practice arise often more serious attachments, 
which they call loving par amours. I trust, if 
we are to travel together, you will so school your 
young man as to make him aware that Anne of 
Geierstein cannot, with propriety on her part, be 
made the object of his thoughts or attentions. ” 

The merchant coloured with resentment, or 
something like it. “I asked not to join your com- 
pany, Sir Landamman — it was you who requested 
mine,” he said; "if my son and I have since 
become in any respect the objects of your suspicion, 
we will gladly pursue our way separately. ” 

“ Nay, be not angry, worthy guest, ” said the 
Landamman ; “ we Switzers do not rashly harbour 
suspicions; and that we may not harbour them, 
we speak, respecting the circumstances out of 
which they might arise, more plainly than is the 
wont of more civilised countries. When I pro- 
posed to you to be my companion on the journey, 
to speak the truth, though it may displease a 
father’s ear, I regarded your son as a soft, faint- 
hearted youth, who was, as yet at least, too timid 
and milky-blooded to attract either respect or 
regard from the maidens. But a few hours have 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


93 


presented him to us in the character of such a one 
as is sure to interest them. He has accomplished 
the emprise of the bow, long thought unattainable, 
and with which a popular report connects an idle 
prophecy. He has wit to make verses, and knows 
doubtless how to recommend himself by. other 
accomplishments which bind young persons to 
each other, though they are lightly esteemed by 
men whose beards are mixed with grey, like yours, 
friend merchant, and mine own. Now, you must 
be aware, that since my brother broke terms with 
me, simply for preferring the freedom of a Swiss 
citizen to the tawdry and servile condition of a 
German courtier, he will not approve of any one 
looking towards his daughter who hath not the 
advantage of noble blood, or who hath, what he 
would call, debased himself by attention to mer- 
chandise, to the cultivation of land — in a word, 
to any art that is useful. Should your son love 
Anne of Geierstein, he prepares for himself danger 
and disappointment. And, now you know the 
whole, — I ask you, Do we travel together or 
apart ? * 

“ Even as ye list, my worthy host, ” said Philip- 
son, in an indifferent tone ; “ for me, I can but say 
that such an attachment as you speak of would be 
as contrary to my wishes as to tfiose of your 
brother, or what I suppose are your own. Arthur 
Philipson has duties to perform totally inconsis- 
tent with his playing the gentle bachelor to any 
maiden in Switzerland, take Germany to boot, 
whether of high or low degree. He is an obedient 
son, besides — hath never seriously disobeyed my 
commands, and I will have an eye upon his 
motions. ” 


94 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


“ Enough, my friend, ” said the Landamman ; 
“ we travel together, then, and I willingly keep 
my original purpose, being both pleased and 
instructed by your discourse. ” 

Then changing the conversation, he began to ask 
whether his acquaintance thought that the league 
entered into by the King of England and the Duke 
of Burgundy would continue stable. “ We hear 
much,” continued the Swiss, “of the immense 
army with which King Edward proposes the 
recovery of the English dominions in France. ” 

“ I am well aware, ” said Philipson, “ that nothing 
can be so popular in my country as the invasion of 
France, and the attempt to reconquer Normandy, 
Maine, and Gascony, the ancient appanages of our 
English crown. But I greatly doubt whether the 
voluptuous usurper, who now calls himself king, 
will be graced by Heaven with success in such an 
adventure. This Fourth Edward is brave indeed, 
and has gained every battle in which he drew his 
sword, and they have been many in number. But 
since he reached, through a bloody path, to the 
summit of his ambition, he has shown himself 
rather a sensual debauchee than a valiant knight ; 
and it is my firm belief, that not even the chance 
of recovering all the fair dominions which were 
lost during the civil wars excited by his ambitious 
house will tempt him to exchange the soft beds of 
London, with sheets of silk and pillows of down, 
and the music of a dying lute to lull him to rest, 
for the turf of France and the reveille of an alarm 
trumpet. ” 

“ It is the better for us should it prove so, ” said 
the Landamman ; “ for if England and Burgundy 
were to dismember France, as in our father’s days 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


95 


was nearly accomplished, Duke Charles would 
then have leisure to exhaust his long-hoarded 
vengeance against our Confederacy.” 

As they conversed thus, they attained once more 
the lawn in front of Arnold Biederman’s mansion, 
where the contention of the young men had given 
place to the dance performed by the young per- 
sons of both sexes. The dance was led by Anne 
of Geierstein and the youthful stranger; which, 
although it was the most natural arrangement, 
where the one was a guest, and the other repre- 
sented the mistress of the family, occasioned the 
Landamman’s exchanging a glance with the elder 
Philipson, as if it had held some relation to the 
suspicions he had recently expressed. 

But so soon as her uncle and his elder guest 
appeared, Anne of Geierstein took the earliest 
opportunity of a pause to break off the dance, and 
to enter into conversation with her kinsman, as 
if on the domestic affairs under her attendance. 
Philipson observed that his host listened seriously 
to his niece’s communication ; and, nodding in his 
frank manner, seemed to intimate that her request 
should receive a favourable consideration. 

The family were presently afterwards summoned 
to attend the evening meal, which consisted chiefly 
of the excellent fish afforded by the neighbouring 
streams and lakes. A large cup, containing what 
was called the schlaf-trunJc, or sleeping-drink, then 
went round, which was first quaffed by the master 
of the household, then modestly tasted by the 
maiden, next pledged by the two strangers, and 
finally emptied by the rest of the company. Such 
were then the sober manners of the Swiss, after- 
wards much corrupted by their intercourse with 


96 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


more luxurious regions. The guests were conducted 
to the sleeping-apartments, where Philipson and 
young Arthur occupied the same couch, and shortly 
after the whole inhabitants of the household were 
locked in sound repose. 


CHAPTEK VI. 


When we two meet, we meet like rushing torrents ; 

Like warring winds, like flames from various points, 

That mate each other’s fury — there is naught 
Of elemental strife, were fiends to guide it, 

Can match the wrath of man. 

Frenaud. 

The elder of our two travellers, though a strong 
man and familiar with fatigue, slept sounder and 
longer than usual on the morning which was now 
beginning to dawn, but his son Arthur had that 
upon his mind which early interrupted his repose. 

The encounter with the bold Switzer, a chosen 
man of a renowned race of warriors, was an en- 
gagement which, in the opinion of the period in 
which he lived, was not to be delayed or broken. 
He left his father’s side, avoiding as much as pos- 
sible the risk of disturbing him, though even in 
that case the circumstance would not have excited 
any attention, as he was in the habit of rising 
early, in order to make preparations for the day’s 
journey, to see that the guide was on his duty, 
and that the mule had his provender, and to dis- 
charge similar offices which might otherwise have 
given trouble to his father. The old man, how- 
ever, fatigued with the exertions of the preceding 
day, slept, as we have said, more soundly than 
his wont, and Arthur, arming himself with his 
good sword, sallied out to the lawn in front of the 
Landamman’s dwelling, amid the magic dawn of a 
beautiful harvest morning in the Swiss mountains. 

VOL. I. — 7 


9 8 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


The sun was just about to kiss the top of the 
most gigantic of that race of Titans, though the 
long shadows still lay on the rough grass, which 
crisped under the young man’s feet with a strong 
intimation of frost. But Arthur looked not round 
on the landscape, however lovely, which lay wait- 
ing one flash from the orb of day to start into bril- 
liant existence. *He drew the belt of his trusty 
sword which he was in the act of fastening when 
he left the house, and ere he had secured the 
buckle he was many paces on his way towards the 
place where he was to use it. 

It was still the custom of that military period 
to regard a summons to combat as a sacred engage- 
ment, preferable to all others which could be 
formed; and stifling whatever inward feelings of 
reluctance Nature might oppose to the dictates of 
fashion, the step of a gallant to the place of en- 
counter was required to be as free and ready as if 
he had been going to a bridal. I do not know 
whether this alacrity was altogether real on the 
part of Arthur Philipson; but, if it were other- 
wise, neither his look nor pace betrayed the 
secret. 

Having hastily traversed the fields and groves 
which separated the Landamman’s residence from 
the old castle of Geierstein, he entered the court- 
yard from the side where the castle overlooked the 
land; and nearly in the same instant his almost 
gigantic antagonist, who looked yet more tall and 
burly by the pale morning light than he had 
seemed the preceding evening, appeared ascending 
from the precarious bridge beside the torrent, hav- 
ing reached Geierstein by a different route from 
that pursued by the Englishman. 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


99 


The young champion of Berne had hanging along 
his back one of those huge two-handed swords, 
the blade of which measured five feet, and which 
were wielded with both hands. These were almost 
universally used by the Swiss; for, besides the 
impression which such weapons were calculated 
to make upon the array of the German men-at- 
arms, whose armour was impenetrable to lighter 
swords, they were also well calculated to defend 
mountain passes, where the great bodily strength 
and agility of those who bore them enabled the 
combatants, in spite of their weight and length, 
to use them with much address and effect. One 
of these gigantic swords hung round Rudolph 
Donnerhugel’s neck, the point rattling against his 
heel, and the handle extending itself over his left 
shoulder, considerably above his head. He car- 
ried another in his hand. 

“ Thou art punctual, ” he called out to Arthur 
Philipson, in a voice which was distinctly heard 
above the roar of the waterfall, which it seemed to 
rival in sullen force. “ But I judged thou wouldst 
come without a two-handed sword. There is my 
kinsman Ernest’s,” he said, throwing on the 
ground the weapon which he carried, with the 
hilt towards the young Englishman. “ Look, 
stranger, that thou disgrace it not, for my kins- 
man will never forgive me if thou dost. Or thou 
mayst have mine if thou likest it better. ” 

The Englishman looked at the weapon with 
some surprise, to the use of which he was totally 
unaccustomed. 

“ The challenger, ” he said, “ in all countries 
where honour is known, accepts the arms of the 
challenged. ” 


IOO 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


“ He who fights on a Swiss mountain, fights 
with a Swiss brand, ” answered Rudolph. “ Think 
you our hands are made to handle penknives ? ” 

“ Nor are ours made to wield scythes, ” said 
Arthur; and muttered betwixt his teeth, as he 
looked at the sword, which the Swiss continued 
to offer him — “ Usum non habeo, ( e ) I have not 
proved the weapon. ” 

“ Do you repent the bargain you have made ? * 
said the Swiss ; “ if so, cry craven, and return in 
safety. Speak plainly, instead of prattling Latin 
like a clerk or a shaven monk.” 

“No, proud man,” replied the Englishman, “I 
ask thee no forbearance. I thought but of a com- 
bat between a shepherd and a giant, in which God 
gave the victory to him who had worse odds of 
weapons than falls to my lot to-day. I will fight 
as I stand; my own good sword shall serve my 
need now, as it has done before. ” 

“ Content ! — But blame not me who offered thee 
equality of weapons, ” said the mountaineer. “ And 
now hear me. This is a fight for life or death — 
yon waterfall sounds the alarum for our conflict. — 
Yes, old bellower,” he continued, looking back, 

“ it is long since thou hast heard the noise of 
battle ; — and look at it ere we begin, stranger, for 
if you fall, I will commit your body to its waters. ” 
“And if thou fall’st, proud Swiss,” answered 
Arthur, “ as well I trust thy presumption leads to 
destruction, I will have thee buried in the church 
at Einsiedlen, where the priests shall sing masses 
for thy soul — thy two-handed sword shall be dis- 
played above thy grave, and a scroll shall tell the 
passenger, Here lies a bear’s cub of Berne, slain 
by Arthur the Englishman. ” 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


IOI 


“ The stone is not in Switzerland, rocky as it 
is, ” said Rudolph, scornfully, “ that shall bear 
that inscription. Prepare thyself for battle. ” 

The Englishman cast a calm and deliberate glance 
around the scene of action — a courtyard, partly 
open, partly encumbered with ruins, in less and 
larger masses. 

“ Methinks, ” said he to himself, “ a master of 
his weapon, with the instructions of Bottaferma of 
Florence in his remembrance, a light heart, a good 
blade, a firm hand, and a just cause, might make 
up a worse odds than two feet of steel. ” 

Thinking thus, and imprinting on his mind, as 
much as the time would permit, every circum- 
stance of the locality around him which promised 
advantage in the combat, and taking his station in 
the middle of the courtyard where the ground was 
entirely clear, he flung his cloak from him, and 
drew his sword. 

Rudolph had at first believed that his foreign 
antagonist was an effeminate youth, who would be 
swept from before him at the first flourish of his 
tremendous weapon. But the firm and watchful 
attitude assumed by the young man reminded the 
Swiss of the deficiencies of his own unwieldy im- 
plement, and made him determine to avoid any 
precipitation which might give advantage to an 
enemy who seemed both daring and vigilant. He 
unsheathed his huge sword, by drawing it over 
the left shoulder, an operation which required 
some little time, and might have offered formi- 
dable advantage to his antagonist, had Arthur’s 
sense of honour permitted him to begin the attack 
ere it was completed. The Englishman remained 
firm, however, until the Swiss, displaying his 


102 


ANNE 0E GEIERSTEIN. 


bright brand to the morning sun, made three or 
four flourishes as if to prove its weight, and the 
facility with which he wielded it — then stood 
firm within sword-stroke of his adversary, grasp- 
ing his weapon with both hands, and advancing 
it a little before his body, with the blade pointed 
straight upwards. The Englishman, on the con- 
trary, carried his sword in one hand, holding it 
across his face in a horizontal position, so as to 
be at once ready to strike, thrust, or parry. 

“ Strike, Englishman ! ” said the Switzer, after 
they had confronted each other in this manner for 
about a minute. 

“ The longest sword should strike first, ” said 
Arthur ; and the words had not left his mouth when 
the Swiss sword rose, and descended with a rapidity 
which, the weight and size of the weapon con- 
sidered, appeared portentous. No parry, however 
dexterously interposed, could have baffled the 
ruinous descent of that dreadful weapon, by which 
the champion of Berne had hoped at once to begin 
the battle and end it. But young Philipson had 
not over-estimated the justice of his own eye, or 
the activity of his limbs. Ere the blade descended, 
a sudden spring to one side carried him from 
beneath its heavy sway, and before the Swiss could 
again raise his sword aloft, he received a wound, 
though a slight one, upon the left arm. Irritated 
at the failure and at the wound, the Switzer 
heaved up his sword once more, and availing him- 
self of a strength corresponding to his size, he 
discharged towards his adversary a succession of 
blows, downright, athwart, horizontal, and from 
left to right, with such surprising strength and 
velocity, that it required all the address of the 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


103 


young Englishman, by parrying, shifting, eluding, 
or retreating, to evade a storm of which every in- 
dividual blow seemed sufficient to cleave a solid 
rock. The Englishman was compelled to give 
ground, now backwards, now swerving to the one 
side or the other, now availing himself of the frag- 
ments of the ruins, but watching all the while, 
with the utmost composure, the moment when the 
strength of his enraged enemy might become some- 
what exhausted, or when by some improvident or 
furious blow he might again lay himself open to a 
close attack. The latter of these advantages had 
nearly occurred, for in the middle of his headlong 
charge the Switzer stumbled over a large stone 
concealed among the long grass, and ere he could 
recover himself received a severe blow across the 
head from his antagonist. It lighted upon his 
bonnet, the lining of which enclosed a small steel 
cap, so that he escaped unwounded, and springing 
up, renewed the battle with unabated fury, though 
it seemed to the young Englishman with breath 
somewhat short, and blows dealt with more 
caution. 

They were still contending with equal fortune, 
when a stern voice, rising over the clash of swords, 
as well as the roar of waters, called out in a com- 
manding tone, “ On your lives, forbear ! ” 

The two combatants sank the points of their 
swords, not very sorry perhaps for the interruption 
of a strife which must otherwise have had a deadly 
termination. They looked round, and the Lan- 
damman stood before them, with anger frowning 
on his broad and expressive forehead. 

“ How now, boys ? ” he said. “ Are you guests 
of Arnold Biederman, and do you dishonour his 


104 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


house by acts of violence more becoming the 
wolves of the mountains, than beings to whom the 
great Creator has given a form after His own like- 
ness, and an immortal soul to be saved by penance 
and repentance ? ” 

“ Arthur, " said the elder Philipson, who had 
come up at the same time with their host, “ what 
frenzy is this ? Are your duties of so light and 
heedless a nature, as to give time and place for 
quarrels and combats with every idle boor who 
chances to be boastful at once and bull-headed ? ” 

The young men, whose strife had ceased at the 
entrance of these unexpected spectators, stood look- 
ing at each other, and resting on their swords. 

“ Rudolph Donnerhugel, ” said the Landamman, 
“ give thy sword to me — to me, the owner of this 
ground, the master of this family, and magistrate 
of the canton. ” 

“ And which is more, ” answered Rudolph, sub- 
missively, “ to you who are Arnold Biederman, at 
whose command every native of these mountains 
draws his sword or sheathes it. ” 

He gave his two-handed sword to the Landam- 
man. 

“ Now, by my honest word, ” said Biederman, 

“ it is the same with which thy father Stephen 
fought so gloriously at Sempach, abreast with the 
famous De Winkelried ! Shame it is, that it should 
be drawn on a helpless stranger. — And you, young 
sir, ” continued the Swiss, addressing Arthur, while 
his father said at the same time, “ Young man, 
yield up your sword to the Landamman. ” 

“ It shall not need, sir, ” replied the young Eng- 
lishman, “ since, for my part, I hold our strife at 
an end. This gallant gentleman called me hither, 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


105 


on a trial, as I conceive, of courage : I can give 
my unqualified testimony to his gallantry and 
swordmanship ; and as I trust he will say nothing 
to the shame of my manhood, I think our strife 
has lasted long enough for the purpose which gave 
rise to it. " 

“ Too long for me, ” said Rudolph, frankly ; “ the 
green sleeve of my doublet, which I wore of that 
colour out of my love to the Forest Cantons, is 
now stained into as dirty a crimson as could have 
been done by a4iy dyer in Ypres or Ghent. But I 
heartily forgive the brave stranger who has spoiled 
my jerkin, and given its master a lesson he will 
not soon forget. Had all Englishmen been like 
your guest, worthy kinsman, methinks the mound 
at Buttisholz had hardly risen so high. ” 

“ Cousin Rudolph, ” said the Landamman, smooth- 
ing his brow as his kinsman spoke, “ I have ever 
thought thee as generous as thou art harebrained 
and quarrelsome; and you, my young guest, may 
rely, that when a Swiss says the quarrel is over, 
there is no chance of its being renewed. We are 
not like the men of the valleys to the eastward, 
who nurse revenge as if it were a favourite child. 
And now, join hands, my children, and let us 
forget this foolish feud. ” 

“ Here is my hand, brave stranger, ” said Don- 
nerhugel ; “ thou hast taught me a trick of fence, 
and when we have broken our fast we will, by 
your leave, to the forest, where I will teach you 
a trick of woodcraft in return. When your foot 
hath half the experience of your hand, and your 
eye hath gained a portion of the steadiness of your 
heart, you will not find many hunters to match 
you. ” 


io6 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


Arthur, with all the ready confidence of youth, 
readily embraced a proposition so frankly made, 
and before they reached the house various subjects 
of sport were eagerly discussed between them, with 
as much cordiality as if no disturbance of their 
concord had taken place. 

“ Now this, ” said the Landamman, “ is as it 
should be. I am ever ready to forgive the head- 
long impetuosity of our youth, if they will be but 
manly and open in their reconciliation, and bear 
their heart on their tongue, as a true Swiss 
should. ” 

“ These two youths had made but wild work of 
it, however, ” said Philipson, “ had not your care, 
my worthy host, learned of their rendezvous, and 
called me to assist in breaking their purpose. 
May I ask how it came to your knowledge so 
opportunely ? ” 

“ It was e’en through means of my domestic 
fairy,” answered Arnold Biederman, “who seems 
born for the good luck of my family, — I mean my 
niece, Anne, who had observed a glove exchanged 
betwixt the two young braggadocios, and heard 
them mention Geierstein and break of day. Oh, 
sir, it is much to see a woman’s sharpness of 
wit ! It would have been long enough ere any of 
my thick-headed sons had shown themselves so 
apprehensive. ” 

“ I think I see our propitious protectress peep- 
ing at us from yonder high ground,” said Philip- 
son ; “ but it seems as if she would willingly 
observe us without being seen in return. ” 

“ Ay, ” said the Landamman, “ she has been 
looking out to see that there has been no hurt 
done; and now, I warrant me, the foolish girl is 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


107 


ashamed of having shown such a laudable degree 
of interest in a matter of the kind. ” 

“ Methinks, ” said the Englishman, “ I would 
willingly return my thanks, in your presence, to 
the fair maiden to whom I have been so highly 
indebted. ” 

“ There can be no better time than the present,” 
said the Landamman; and he sent through the 
groves the maiden’s name, in one of those shrilly 
accented tones which we have already noticed. 

Anne of Geierstein, as Philipson had before 
observed, was stationed upon a knoll at some dis- 
tance, and concealed, as she thought, from notice, 
by a screen of brushwood. She started at her 
uncle’s summons, therefore, but presently obeyed 
it; and avoiding the young men, who passed on 
foremost, she joined the Landamman and Philip- 
son, by a circuitous path through the woods. 

“ My worthy friend and guest would speak with 
you, Anne,” said the Landamman, so soon as the 
morning greeting had been exchanged. The Swiss 
maiden coloured over brow as well as cheek, when 
Philipson, with a grace which seemed beyond his 
calling, addressed her in these words : — 

“ It happens sometimes to us merchants, my fair 
young friend, that we are unlucky enough not to 
possess means for the instant defraying of our 
debts; but he is justly held amongst us as the 
meanest of mankind who does not acknowledge 
them. Accept, therefore, the thanks of a father, 
whose son your courage, only yesterday, saved 
from destruction, and whom your prudence has, 
this very morning, rescued from a great danger. 
And grieve me not, by refusing to wear these ear- 
rings,” he added, producing a small jewel-case, 


108 ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 

which he opened as he spoke : “ they are, it is true, 
only of pearls, but they have not been thought 
unworthy the ears of a countess ” 

“ And must, therefore, ” said the old Landam- 
man, * show misplaced on the person of a Swiss 
maiden of Unterwalden ; for such and no more is 
my niece Anne while she resides in my solitude. 
Methinks, good Master Philipson, you display less 
than your usual judgment in matching the quality 
of your gifts with the rank of her on whom they 
are bestowed — as a merchant, too, you should 
remember that large guerdons will lighten your 
gains. ” 

“ Let me crave your pardon, my good host, ” 
answered the Englishman, “ while I reply, that at 
least I have consulted my own sense of the obliga- 
tion under which I labour, and have chosen, out 
of what I have at my free disposal, that which I 
thought might best express it. I trust the host 
whom I have found hitherto so kind will not pre- 
vent this young maiden from accepting wlm is at 
least not unbecoming the rank she is born to ; and 
you will judge me unjustly if you think me ca- 
pable of doing either myself or you the wrong, of 
offering any token of a value beyond what I can 
well spare. ” 

The Landamman took the jewel-case into his 
own hand. 

“ I have ever set my countenance, ” he said, 

“ against gaudy gems, which are leading us daily 
further astray from the simplicity of our fathers 
and mothers. — And yet, ” he added, with a good- 
humoured smile, and holding one of the earrings 
close to his relation’s face, “ the ornaments do set 
off the wench rarely, and they say girls have more 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


109 


pleasure in wearing such toys than grey -haired men 
can comprehend. Wherefore, dear Anne, as thou 
hast deserved a dearer trust in a greater matter, I 
refer thee entirely to thine own wisdom, to accept 
of our good friend’s costly present, and wear it or 
not as thou thinkest fit. ” 

“ Since such is your pleasure, my best friend 
and kinsman,” said the young maiden, blushing 
as she spoke, “ I will not give pain to our valued 
guest, by refusing what he desires so earnestly that 
I should accept ; but, by his leave, good uncle, and 
yours, I will bestow these splendid earrings on the 
shrine of Our Lady of Einsiedlen, to express our 
general gratitude to her protecting favour, which 
has been around us in the terrors of yesterday’s 
storm, and the alarms of this morning’s discord. ” 

“ By Our Lady, the wench speaks sensibly ! ” 
said the Landamman ; “ and her wisdom has 
applied the bounty well, my good guest, to be- 
speak prayers for thy family and mine, and for 
the general peace of Unterwalden. — Go to, Anne, 
thou shalt have a necklace of jet at next shearing- 
feast, if our fleeces bear any price in the market. ” 


CHAPTER VII. 


Let him who will not proffer’d peace receive, 

Be sated with the plagues which war can give ; 

And well thy hatred of the peace is known, 

If now thy soul reject the friendship shown. 

Hoole's Tasso. 

The confidence betwixt the Landamman and the 
English merchant appeared to increase during the 
course of a few busy days, which occurred before 
that appointed for the commencement of their 
journey to the court of Charles of Burgundy. The 
state of Europe, and of the Helvetian Confederacy, 
has been already alluded to ; but, for the distinct 
explanation of our story, may be here briefly 
recapitulated. 

In the interval of a week, whilst the English 
travellers remained at Geierstein, meetings or 
diets were held, as well of the City Cantons of the 
Confederacy as of those of the Forest. The former, 
aggrieved by the taxes imposed on their commerce 
by the Duke of Burgundy, rendered yet more in- 
tolerable by the violence of the agents whom he 
employed in such oppression, were eager for war, 
in which they had hitherto uniformly found vic- 
tory and wealth. Many of them were also pri- 
vately instigated to arms by the largesses of Louis 
XI. , who spared neither intrigues nor gold to effect 
a breach betwixt these dauntless confederates and 
his formidable enemy, Charles the Bold. 


ANNE OF GEIERSTE1N. 


ii 


On the other hand, there were many reasons 
which appeared to render it impolitic for the 
Switzers to engage in war with one of the most 
wealthy, most obstinate, and most powerful princes 
in Europe — for such unquestionably was Charles 
of Burgundy — without the existence of some 
strong reason affecting their own honour and inde- 
pendence. Every day brought fresh intelligence 
from the interior that Edward the Fourth of Eng- 
land had entered into a strict and intimate al- 
liance, offensive and defensive, with the Duke of 
Burgundy, and that it was the purpose of the Eng- 
lish King, renowned for his numerous victories 
over the rival House of Lancaster, by which, after 
various reverses, he had obtained undisputed pos- 
session of the throne, to reassert his claims to 
those provinces of France so long held by his 
ancestors. It seemed as if this alone were want- 
ing to his fame, and that, having subdued his 
internal enemies, he now turned his eyes to the 
regaining of those rich and valuable foreign pos- 
sessions which had been lost during the admi- 
nistration of the feeble Henry YI. and the civil 
discords so dreadfully prosecuted in the wars of 
the White and Red Roses. It was universally 
known, that throughout England generally the 
loss of the French provinces was felt as a national 
degradation; and that not only the nobility, who 
had in consequence been deprived of the large fiefs 
which they had held in Normandy, Gascony, 
Maine, and Anjou, but the warlike gentry, accus- 
tomed to gain both fame and wealth at the expense 
of France, and the fiery yeomanry, whose bows 
had decided so many fatal battles, were as eager to 
renew the conflict, as their ancestors of Cressy, 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


I 12 

Poitiers, and Agincourt had been to follow their 
sovereign to the fields of victory, on which their 
deeds had conferred deathless renown. 

The latest and most authentic intelligence bore, 
that the King of England was on the point of 
passing to France in person (an invasion rendered 
easy by his possession of Calais), with an army 
superior in numbers and discipline to any with 
which an English monarch had ever before entered 
that kingdom; that all the hostile preparations 
were completed, and that the arrival of Edward 
might instantly be expected ; whilst the powerful 
co-operation of the Duke of Burgundy, and the 
assistance of numerous disaffected French noble- 
men in the provinces which had been so long 
under the English dominion, threatened a fearful 
issue of the war to Louis XL, sagacious, wise, and 
powerful as that prince unquestionably was. 

It would no doubt have been the wisest policy of 
Charles of Burgundy, when thus engaging in an 
alliance against his most formidable neighbour, 
and hereditary as well as personal enemy, to have 
avoided all cause of quarrel with the Helvetian 
Confederacy, a poor but most warlike people, who 
already had been taught by repeated successes to 
feel that their hardy infantry could, if necessary, 
engage on terms of equality, or even of advantage, 
the flower of that chivalry which had hitherto 
been considered as forming the strength of Euro- 
pean battle. But the measures of Charles, whom 
fortune had opposed to the most astucious and 
politic monarch of his time, were always dictated 
by passionate feeling and impulse, rather than by 
a judicious consideration of the circumstances in 
which he stood. Haughty, proud, and uncom- 




ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 113 

promising, though neither destitute of honour nor 
generosity, he despised and hated what he termed 
the paltry associations of herdsmen and shepherds, 
united with a few towns which subsisted chiefly 
by commerce ; and instead of courting the Helve- 
tian Cantons, like his crafty enemy, or at least 
affording them no ostensible pretence of quarrel, 
he omitted no opportunity of showing the disregard 
and contempt in which he held their upstart con- 
sequence, and of evincing the secret longing which 
he entertained to take vengeance upon them for 
the quantity of noble blood which they had shed, 
and to compensate the repeated successes they had 
gained over the feudal lords, of whom he imagined 
himself the destined avenger. 

The Duke of Burgundy’s possessions in the 
Alsatian territory (f) afforded him many opportu- 
nities for wreaking his displeasure upon the Swiss 
League. The little castle and town of Ferette, 
lying within ten or eleven miles of Bale, served as 
a thoroughfare to the traffic of Berne and Soleure, 
the two principal towns of the confederation. In 
this place the Duke posted a governor, or sene- 
schal, who was also an administrator of the reve- 
nue, and seemed born on purpose to be the plague 
and scourge of his republican neighbours. 

Archibald von Hagenbach was a German noble, 
whose possessions lay in Suabia, and was univer- 
sally esteemed one of the fiercest and most lawless 
of that frontier nobility known by the name of 
Robber-knights and Robber-counts. These digni- 
taries, because they held their fiefs of the Holy 
Roman Empire, claimed as complete sovereignty 
within their territories of a mile square as any 
reigning prince of Germany in his more extended 

VOL. 1. — 8 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


114 

dominions. They levied tolls and taxes on 
strangers, and imprisoned, tried, and executed 
those who, as they alleged, had committed offences 
within their petty domains. But especially, and 
in further exercise of their seignorial privileges, 
they made war on each other, and on the Free 
Cities of the Empire, attacking and plundering 
without mercy the caravans, or large trains of 
wagons, by which the internal commerce of Ger- 
many was carried on. 

A succession of injuries done and received by 
Archibald of Hagenbach, who had been one of the 
fiercest sticklers for this privilege of faustrecht , or 
club-law, as it may be termed, had ended in his 
being obliged, though somewhat advanced in life, 
to leave a country where his tenure of existence 
was become extremely precarious, and to engage 
in the service of the Duke of Burgundy, who 
willingly employed him, as he was a man of high 
descent and proved valour, and not the less, per- 
haps, that he was sure to find in a man of Hagen- 
bach ’s fierce, rapacious, and haughty disposition, 
the unscrupulous executioner of whatsoever severi- 
ties it might be his master’s pleasure to enjoin. 

The traders of Berne and Soleure, accordingly, 
made loud and violent complaints of Hagenbach ’s 
exactions. The impositions laid on commodities 
which passed through his district of La Ferette, 
to whatever place they might be ultimately bound, 
were arbitrarily increased, and the merchants and 
traders who hesitated to make instant payment of 
what was demanded were exposed to imprisonment 
and personal punishment. The commercial towns 
of Germany appealed to the Duke against this 
iniquitous conduct on the part of the Governor of 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


n 5 


La Ferette, and requested of his Grace’s goodness 
that he would withdraw Yon Hagenbach from 
their neighbourhood ; but the Duke treated their 
complaints with contempt. The Swiss League 
carried their remonstrances higher, and required 
that justice should be done on the Governor of La 
Ferette, as having offended against the law of 
nations; but they were equally unable to attract 
attention or obtain redress. 

At length the Diet of the Confederation deter- 
mined to send the solemn deputation which has 
been repeatedly mentioned. One or two of these 
envoys joined with the calm and prudent Arnold 
Biederman, in the hope that so solemn a measure 
might open the eyes of the Duke to the wicked 
injustice of his representative; others among the 
deputies, having no such peaceful views, were 
determined, by this resolute remonstrance, to pave 
the way for hostilities. 

Arnold Biederman was an especial advocate for 
peace, while its preservation was compatible with 
national independence, and the honour of the 
Confederacy ; but the younger Philipson soon dis- 
covered that the Landamman alone, of all his 
family, cherished these moderate views. The 
opinion of his sons had been swayed and seduced 
by the impetuous eloquence and overbearing in- 
fluence of Rudolph of Donnerhugel, who, by some 
feats of peculiar gallantry, and the consideration 
due to the merit of his ancestors, had acquired an 
influence in the councils of his native canton, and 
with the youth of the League in general, beyond 
what was usually yielded by these wise republi- 
cans to men of his early age. Arthur, who was 
now an acceptable and welcome companion of all 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


116 

their hunting parties and other sports, heard noth- 
ing among the young men but anticipations of 
war, rendered delightful by the hopes of booty and 
of distinction, which were to be obtained by the 
Switzers. The feats of their ancestors against 
the Germans had been so wonderful as to realise 
the fabulous victories of romance ; and while the 
present race possessed the same hardy limbs, and 
the same inflexible courage, they eagerly anticipated 
the same distinguished success. When the Gover- 
nor of La Ferette was mentioned in the conversa- 
tion, he was usually spoken of as the bandog of 
Burgundy, or the Alsatian mastiff; and intima- 
tions were openly given, that if his course were 
not instantly checked by his master, and he him- 
self withdrawn from the frontiers of Switzerland, 
Archibald of Hagenbach would find his fortress no 
protection from the awakened indignation of the 
wronged inhabitants of Soleure, and particularly 
of those of Berne. 

This general disposition to war among the young 
Switzers was reported to the elder Philipson by 
his son, and led him at one time to hesitate 
whether he ought not rather to resume all the 
inconveniences and dangers of a journey, accom- 
panied only by Arthur, than run the risk of the 
quarrels in which he might be involved by the 
unruly conduct of these fierce mountain youths, 
after they should have left their own frontiers. 
Such an event would have had, in a peculiar 
degree, the effect of destroying every purpose of 
his journey; but respected as Arnold Biederman 
was by his family and countrymen, the English 
merchant concluded, upon the whole, that his 
influence would be able to restrain his companions 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


ii 7 


until the great question of peace or war should 
be determined, and especially until they should 
have discharged their commission by obtaining an 
audience of the Duke of Burgundy ; and after this 
he should be separated from their society, and not 
liable to be engaged in any responsibility for their 
ulterior measures. 

After a delay of about ten days, the deputation 
commissioned to remonstrate with the Duke on 
the aggressions and exactions of Archibald of 
Hagenbach at length assembled at Geierstein, 
whence the members were to journey forth to- 
gether. They were three in number, besides the 
young Bernese, and the Landamman of Unterwal- 
den. One was, like Arnold, a proprietor from 
the Forest Cantons, wearing a dress scarcely hand- 
somer than that of a common herdsman, but dis- 
tinguished by the beauty and size of his long 
silvery beard. His name was Nicholas Bonstetten. 
Melchior Sturmthal, banner-bearer of Berne, a 
man of middle age, and a soldier of distinguished 
courage, with Adam Zimmerman, a burgess of 
Soleure, who was considerably older, completed 
the number of the envoys. 

Each was dressed after his best fashion; but 
notwithstanding that the severe eye of Arnold 
Biederman censured one or two silver belt-buckles, 
as well as a chain of the same metal, which deco- 
rated the portly person of the burgess of Soleure, 
it seemed that a powerful and victorious people, 
for such the Swiss were now to be esteemed, were 
never represented by an embassy of such patri- 
archal simplicity. The deputies travelled on foot, 
with their piked staves in their hands, like pil- 
grims bound for some place of devotion. Two 


n8 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


mules, which bore their little stock of baggage, 
were led by young lads, sons or cousins of members 
of the embassy, who had obtained permission in 
this manner to get such a glance of the world 
beyond the mountains as this journey promised 
to afford. 

But although their retinue was small, so far as 
respected either state or personal attendance and 
accommodation, the dangerous circumstances of 
the times, and the very unsettled state of the 
country beyond their own territories, did not per- 
mit men charged with affairs of such importance to 
travel without a guard. Even the danger arising 
from the wolves, which, when pinched by the 
approach of winter, have been known to descend 
from their mountain fastnesses into open villages, 
such as those the travellers might choose to quarter 
in, rendered the presence of some escort necessary ; 
and the bands of deserters from various services, 
who formed parties of banditti on the frontiers of 
Alsatia and Germany, combined to recommend 
such a precaution. 

Accordingly, about twenty of the selected youth 
from the various Swiss cantons, including Rudiger, 
Ernest, and Sigismund, Arnold’s three eldest sons, 
attended upon the deputation. They did not, how- 
ever, observe any military order, or march close 
or near to the patriarchal train. On the contrary, 
they formed hunting parties of five or six together, 
who explored the rocks, woods, and passes of the 
mountains, through which the envoys journeyed. 
Their slower pace allowed the active young men, 
who were accompanied by their large shaggy dogs, 
full time to destroy wolves and bears, or occasion- 
ally to surprise a chamois among the cliffs ; while 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


n 9 

the hunters, even while in pursuit of their sport, 
were careful to examine such places as might 
afford opportunity for ambush, and thus ascertained 
the safety of the party whom they escorted, more 
securely than if they had attended close on their 
train. A peculiar note on the huge Swiss bugle, 
before described, formed of the horn of the moun- 
tain hull, was the signal agreed upon for collect- 
ing in a body should danger occur. Rudolph 
Donnerhugel, so much younger than his brethren 
in the same important commission, took the com- 
mand of this mountain body-guard, whom he 
usually accompanied in their sportive excursions. 
In point of arms, they were well provided ; bear- 
ing two-handed swords, long partisans and spears, 
as well as both cross and long bows, short cut- 
lasses, and huntsmen’s knives. The heavier 
weapons, as impeding their activity, were carried 
with the baggage, but were ready to be assumed 
on the slightest alarm. 

Arthur Philipson, like his late antagonist, natu- 
rally preferred the company and sports of the 
younger men, to the grave conversation and slow 
pace of the fathers of the mountain commonwealth. 
There was, however, one temptation to loiter with 
the baggage, which, had other circumstances per- 
mitted, might have reconciled the young English- 
man to forego the opportunities of sport which the 
Swiss youth so eagerly sought after, and endure 
the slow pace and grave conversation of the elders 
of the party. In a word, Anne of Geierstein, 
accompanied by a Swiss girl her attendant, tra- 
velled in the rear of the deputation. 

The two females were mounted upon asses, 
whose slow step hardly kept pace with the baggage 


120 


ANNE 0E GEIE11STEIN. 


mules ; and it may be fairly suspected that Arthur 
Philipson, in requital of the important services 
which he had received from that beautiful and 
interesting young woman, would have deemed it 
no extreme hardship to have afforded her occasion- 
ally his assistance on the journey, and the advan- 
tage of his conversation to relieve the tediousness 
of the way. But he dared not presume to offer 
attentions which the customs of the country did 
not seem to permit, since they were not attempted 
by any of the maiden’s cousins, or even by 
Rudolph Donnerhugel, who certainly had hitherto 
appeared to neglect no opportunity to recommend 
himself to his fair cousin. Besides, Arthur had 
reflection enough to be convinced, that in yield- 
ing to the feelings which impelled him to cultivate 
the acquaintance of this amiable young person, he 
would certainly incur the serious displeasure of 
his father, and probably also that of her uncle, by 
whose hospitality they had profited, and whose 
safe-conduct they were in the act of enjoying. 

The young Englishman, therefore, pursued the 
same amusements which interested the other young 
men of the party, managing only, as frequently as 
their halts permitted, to venture upon offering to 
the maiden such marks of courtesy as could afford 
no room for remark or censure. And his character 
as a sportsman being now well established, he 
sometimes permitted himself, even when the game 
was afoot, to loiter in the vicinity of the path on 
which he could at least mark the flutter of the 
grey wimple of Anne of Geierstein, and the outline 
of the form which it shrouded. This indolence, 
as it seemed, was not unfavourably construed by 
his companions, being only accounted an indiffe- 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


1 2 1 


rence to the less noble or less dangerous game ; for 
when the object was a bear, wolf, or other animal 
of prey, no spear, cutlass, or bow of the party, 
not even those of Rudolph Donnerhugel, were so 
prompt in the chase as those of the young 
Englishman. 

Meantime, the elder Philipson had other and 
more serious subjects of consideration. He was a 
man, as the reader must have already seen, of much 
acquaintance with the world, in which he had 
acted parts different from that which he now sus- 
tained. Former feelings were recalled and awa- 
kened, by the view of sports familiar to his early 
years. The clamour of the hounds, echoing from 
the wild hills and dark forests through which they 
travelled ; the sight of the gallant young hunts- 
men, appearing, as they brought the object of 
their chase to bay, amid airy cliffs and profound 
precipices, which seemed impervious to the human 
foot ; the sounds of halloo and horn reverberating 
from hill to hill, had more than once well-nigh 
impelled him to take a share in the hazardous but 
animating amusement, which, next to war, was 
then in most parts of Europe the most serious 
occupation of life. But the feeling was transient, 
and he became yet more deeply interested in study- 
ing the manners and opinions of the persons with 
whom he was travelling. 

They seemed to be all coloured with the same 
downright and blunt simplicity which charac- 
terised Arnold Biederman, although it was in 
none of them elevated by the same dignity of 
thought or profound sagacity. In speaking of the 
political state of their country, they affected no 
secrecy ; and although, with the exception of 


122 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


Rudolph, their own young men were not admitted 
into their councils, the exclusion seemed only 
adopted with a view to the necessary subordina- 
tion of youth to age, and not for the purpose of 
observing any mystery. In the presence of the 
elder Philipson, they freely discussed the preten- 
sions of the Duke of Burgundy, the means which 
their country possessed of maintaining her inde- 
pendence, and the firm resolution of the Helvetian 
League to bid defiance to the utmost force the 
world could bring against it, rather than submit 
to the slightest insult. In other respects, their 
views appeared wise and moderate, although both 
the Banneret of Berne and the consequential Bur- 
gher of Soleure seemed to hold the consequences 
of war more lightly than they were viewed by 
the cautious Landamman of Unterwalden, and his 
venerable companion, Nicholas Bonstetten, who 
subscribed to all his opinions. 

It frequently happened that, quitting these sub- 
jects, the conversation turned on such as were less 
attractive to their fellow-traveller. The signs of 
the weather, the comparative fertility of recent 
seasons, the most advantageous mode of managing 
their orchards and rearing their crops, though 
interesting to the mountaineers themselves, gave 
Philipson slender amusement; and notwithstand- 
ing that the excellent Meinherr Zimmerman of 
Soleure would fain have joined with him in con- 
versation respecting trade and merchandise, yet 
the Englishman, who dealt in articles of small 
bulk and considerable value, and traversed sea and 
land to carry on his traffic, could find few mutual 
topics to discuss with the Swiss trader, whose 
commerce only extended into the neighbouring 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


123 


districts of Burgundy and Germany, and whose 
goods consisted of coarse woollen cloths, fustian, 
hides, peltry, and such ordinary articles. 

But ever and anon, while the Switzers were 
discussing some paltry interests of trade, or de- 
scribing some process of rude cultivation, or speak- 
ing of blights in grain, and the murrain amongst 
cattle, with all the dull minuteness of petty 
farmers and traders met at a country fair, a well- 
known spot would recall the name and story of a 
battle in which some of them had served (for there 
were none of the party who had not been re- 
peatedly in arms), and the military details, which 
in other countries were only the theme of knights 
and squires who had acted their part in them, or 
of learned clerks who laboured to record them, 
were, in this singular region, the familiar and 
intimate subjects of discussion with men whose 
peaceful occupations seemed to place them at an 
immeasurable distance from the profession of a 
soldier. This led the Englishman to think of the 
ancient inhabitants of Rome, where the plough 
was so readily exchanged for the sword, and the 
cultivation of a rude farm for the management of 
public affairs. He hinted this resemblance to the 
Landamman, who was naturally gratified with the 
compliment to his country, but presently replied 
— “ May Heaven continue among us the homebred 
virtues of the Romans, and preserve us from their 
lust of conquest and love of foreign luxuries ! ” 

The slow pace of the travellers, with various 
causes of delay which it is unnecessary to dwell 
upon, occasioned the deputation spending two 
nights on the road before they reached Bale. The 
small towns or villages in which they quartered, 


124 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


received them with such marks of respectful hos- 
pitality as they had the means to bestow, and their 
arrival was a signal for a little feast, with which 
the heads of the community uniformly regaled 
them. 

On such occasions, while the elders of the vil- 
lage entertained the deputies of the Confederation, 
the young men of the escort were provided for by 
those of their own age, several of whom, usually 
aware of their approach, were accustomed to join 
in the chase of the day, and made the strangers 
acquainted with the spots where game was most 
plenty. 

These feasts were never prolonged to excess, and 
the most special dainties which composed them 
were kids, lambs, and game, the produce of the 
mountains. Yet it seemed both to Arthur Philip- 
son and his father, that the advantages of good 
cheer were more prized by the Banneret of Berne 
and the Burgess of Soleure than by their host the 
Landamman and the Deputy of Schwitz. There 
was no excess committed, as we have already said ; 
but the deputies first mentioned obviously under- 
stood the art of selecting the choicest morsels, and 
were connoisseurs in the good wine, chiefly of 
foreign growth, with which they freely washed it 
down. Arnold was too wise to censure what he 
had no means of amending : he contented himself 
by observing in his own person a rigorous diet, 
living indeed almost entirely upon vegetables and 
fair water, in which he was closely imitated by 
the old grey-bearded Nicholas Bonstetten, who 
seemed to make it his principal object to follow 
the Landamman’s example in everything. 

It was, as we have already said, the third day 


ANNE 0 E GEIERSTEIN. 


125 


after the commencement of their journey, before 
the Swiss deputation reached the vicinity of Bale, 
in which city, then one of the largest in the 
south-western extremity of Germany, they pro- 
posed taking up their abode for the evening, noth- 
ing doubting a friendly reception. The town, it is 
true, was not then, nor till about thirty years after- 
wards, a part of the Swiss Confederation, to which 
it was only joined in 1501 ; but it was a Free 
Imperial City, connected with Berne, Soleure, 
Lucerne, and other towns of Switzerland by 
mutual interests and constant intercourse. It was 
the object of the deputation to negotiate, if pos- 
sible, a peace, which could not be more useful to 
themselves than to the city of Bale, considering 
the interruptions of commerce which must be occa- 
sioned by a rupture between the Duke of Burgundy 
and the Cantons, and the great advantage which 
that city would derive by preserving a neutrality, 
situated as it was betwixt these two hostile 
powers. 

They anticipated, therefore, as welcome a recep- 
tion from the authorities of Bale as they had 
received while in the bounds of their own Confe- 
deration, since the interests of that city were so 
deeply concerned in the objects of their mission. 
The next chapter will show how far these expecta- 
tions were realised. 


CHAPTER VIII. 


They saw that city, welcoming the Rhine, 

As from his mountain heritage he bursts, 

As purposed proud Orgetorix of yore, 

Leaving the desert region of' the hills, 

To lord it o’er the fertile plains of Gaul. 

Helvetia. 

The eyes of the English travellers, wearied with 
a succession of wild mountainous scenery, now 
gazed with pleasure upon a country still indeed 
irregular and hilly in its surface, but capable of 
high cultivation, and adorned with cornfields and 
vineyards. The Rhine, a broad and large river, 
poured its grey stream in a huge sweep through 
the landscape, and divided into two portions the 
city of B&le, which is situated on its banks. The 
southern part, to which the path of the Swiss 
deputies conducted them, displayed the celebrated 
cathedral, and the lofty terrace which runs in 
front of it, and seemed to remind the travellers that 
they now approached a country in which the opera- 
tions of man could make themselves distinguished 
even among the works of nature, instead of being 
lost, as the fate of the most splendid efforts of 
human labour must have been, among those 
tremendous mountains which they had so lately 
traversed. 

They were yet a mile from the entrance of the 
city, when the party was met by one of the magis- 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


127 


trates, attended by two or three citizens mounted 
on mules, the velvet housings of which expressed 
wealth and quality. They greeted the Landam- 
man of Unterwalden and his party in a respectful 
manner, and the latter prepared themselves to 
hear, and make a suitable reply to, the hospi- 
table invitation which they naturally expected to 
receive. 

The message of the community of Bale was, 
however, diametrically opposite to what they had 
anticipated. It was delivered with a good deal of 
diffidence and hesitation by the functionary who 
met them, and who certainly, while discharging 
his commission, did not appear to consider it as 
the most respectable which he might have borne. 
There were many professions of the most profound 
and fraternal regard for the cities of the Helvetian 
League, with whom the orator of Bale declared his 
own state to be united in friendship and interests. 
But he ended by intimating, that, on account of 
certain cogent and weighty reasons, which should 
be satisfactorily explained at more leisure, the 
Free City of Bale could not, this evening, receive 
within its walls the highly respected deputies, 
who were travelling, at the command of the Helve- 
tian Diet, to the court of the Duke of Burgundy. 

Philipson marked with much interest the effect 
which this most unexpected intimation produced 
on the members of the embassage. Rudolph Don- 
nerhugel, who had joined their company as they 
approached Bale, appeared less surprised than his 
associates, and, while he remained perfectly silent, 
seemed rather anxious to penetrate their senti- 
ments than disposed to express his own. It was 
not the first time the sagacious merchant had 


128 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


observed that this hold and fiery young man could, 
when his purposes required it, place a strong con- 
straint upon the natural impetuosity of his temper. 
For the others, the Banneret’s brow darkened; the 
face of the Burgess of Soleure became flushed like 
the moon when rising in the north-west ; the grey- 
bearded Deputy of Schwitz looked anxiously on 
Arnold Biederman ; and the Landamman himself 
seemed more moved than was usual in a person of 
his equanimity. At length he replied to the func- 
tionary of Bale, in a voice somewhat altered by 
his feelings : — 

“ This is a singular message to the deputies of 
the Swiss Confederacy, bound as we are upon an 
amicable mission, on which depends the interest of 
the good citizens of Bale, whom we have always 
treated as our good friends, and who still profess 
to be so. The shelter of their roofs, the protection 
of their walls, the wonted intercourse of hospi- 
tality, is what no friendly state hath a right to 
refuse to the inhabitants of another. ” 

* Nor is it with their will that the community 
of Bale refuse it, worthy Landamman, ” replied the 
magistrate. “ Not you alone, and your worthy 
associates, but your escort, and your very beasts 
of burden, should be entertained with all the kind- 
ness which the citizens of Bale could bestow — 
But we act under constraint. ” 

“ And by whom exercised ? ” said the Banneret, 
bursting out into passion. “ Has the Emperor 
Sigismund profited so little by the example of his 
predecessors” 

“ The Emperor, ” replied the delegate of Bale, in- 
terrupting the Banneret, “ is a well-intentioned and 
peaceful monarch, as he has been ever ; but 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


129 


there are Burgundian troops, of late marched into 
the Sundgaw, and messages have been sent to our 
state from Count Archibald of Hagenbach. ” 

“ Enough said, " replied the Landamman. “ Draw 
not farther the veil from a weakness for which you 
blush. I comprehend you entirely. Bale lies too 
near the citadel of La Ferette to permit its citizens 
to consult their own inclinations. Brother, we 
see where your difficulty lies — we pity you — and 
we forgive your inhospitality. ” 

“ Nay, but hear me to an end, worthy Landam- 
man, ” answered the magistrate. “ There is here 
in the vicinity an old hunting-seat of the Counts 
of Falkenstein, called Graffs-lust, 1 which, though 
ruinous, yet may afford better lodgings than the 
open air, and is capable of some defence — though 
Heaven forbid that any one should dare to in- 
trude upon your repose ! And hark ye hither, 
my worthy friends ; — if you find in the old place 
some refreshments, as wine, beer, and the like, use 
them without scruple, for they are there for your 
accommodation. ” 

“ I do not refuse to occupy a place of security, ” 
said the Landamman ; “ for although the causing 
us to be excluded from B&le may be only done in 
the spirit of petty insolence and malice, yet it 
may also, for what we can tell, be connected with 
some purpose of violence. Your provisions we 
thank you for ; but we will not, with my consent, 
feed at the cost of friends who are ashamed to 
own us unless by stealth. ” 

“ One thing more, my worthy sir, ” said the 
official of Bale — “ You have a maiden in com- 

1 Graffs-lust — i. e., Count’s-delight. 


vol. 1. — 9 


130 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


pany, who, I presume to think, is your daughter. 
There is but rough accommodation where you are 
going, even for men ; — for women there is little 
better, though what we could we have done to 
arrange matters as well as may be. But rather 
let your daughter go with us back to B&le, 
where my dame will be a mother to her, till next 
morning, when I will bring her to your camp in 
safety. We promised to shut our gates against 
the men of the Confederacy, but the women were 
not mentioned.” 

“ You are subtle casuists, you men of B&le, ” 
answered the Landamman ; “ but know, that from 
the time in which the Helvetians sallied forth to 
encounter Csesar down to the present hour, the 
women of Switzerland, in the press of danger, 
have had their abode in the camp of their fathers, 
brothers, and husbands, and sought no further 
safety than they might find in the courage of their 
relations. We have enough of men to protect our 
women, and my niece shall remain with us, and 
take the fate which Heaven may send us. ” 

“ Adieu, then, worthy friend, ” said the magis- 
trate of Bale ; “ it grieves me to part with you 
thus, but evil fate will have it so. Yonder grassy 
avenue will conduct you to the old hunting-seat, 
where Heaven send that you may pass a quiet 
night; for, apart from other risks, men say that 
these ruins have no good name. Will you yet 
permit your niece, since such the young person is, 
to pass to Bale for the night in my company ? ” 

“ If we are disturbed by beings like ourselves,” 
said Arnold Biederman, “ we have strong arms, 
and heavy partisans; if we should be visited, as 
your words would imply, by those of a different 


\ - 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


131 

description, we have, or should have, good con- 
sciences, and confidence in Heaven. — Good friends, 
my brethren on this embassy, have I spoken your 
sentiments as well as mine own ? ” 

The other deputies intimated their assent to 
what their companion had said, and the citizens 
of B&le took a courteous farewell of their guests, 
endeavouring, by the excess of civility, to atone 
for their deficiency in effective hospitality. After 
their departure, Rudolph was the first to express 
his sense of their pusillanimous behaviour, on 
which he had been silent during their presence. 
“ Coward dogs ! ” he said ; “ may the Butcher of 
Burgundy flay the very skins from them with his 
exactions, to teach them to disown old friendships, 
rather than abide the lightest blast of a tyrant’s 
anger ! ” 

“ And not even their own tyrant either, ” said 
another of the group — for several of the young 
men had gathered round their seniors, to hear the 
welcome which they expected from the; magistrates 
of B&le. 

“No, ” replied Ernest, one of Arnold Bieder- 
man’s sons, “ they do not pretend that their own 
prince the Emperor hath interfered with them; 
but a word of the Duke of Burgundy, which should 
be no more to them than a breath of wind from 
the west, is sufficient to stir them to such brutal 
inhospitality. It were well to march to the city, 
and compel them at the sword’s point to give us 
shelter. ” 

A murmur of applause arose amongst the youth 
around, which awakened the displeasure of Arnold 
Biederman. 

“ Did I hear, ” he said, “ the tongue of a son of 


132 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


mine, or was it that of a brutish Lanzknecht , 1 who 
has no pleasure but in battle or violence ? Where 
is the modesty of the youth of Switzerland, who 
were wont to wait the signal for action till it 
pleased the elders of the canton to give it, and 
were as gentle as maidens till the voice of their 
patriarchs bade them be bold as lions ? ” 

“ I meant no harm, father, ” said Ernest, abashed 
with this rebuke, “ far less any slight towards you ; 

but I must needs say” 

“ Say not a word, my son, ” replied Arnold, “ but 
leave our camp to-morrow by break of day ; and, as 
thou takest thy way back to Geierstein, to which 
I command thine instant return, remember, that he 
is not fit to visit strange countries who cannot rule 
his tongue before his own countrymen, and to his 
own father. ” 

The Banneret of Berne, the Burgess of Soleure, 
even the long-bearded Deputy from Schwitz, en- 
deavoured to intercede for the offender, and obtain 
a remission, of his banishment; but it was in 
vain. 

“ No, my good friends and brethren, no,” replied 
Arnold. “ These young men require an example ; 
and though I am grieved in one sense that the 
offence has chanced within my own family, yet I 
am pleased in another light, that the delinquent 
should be one over whom I can exercise full au- 
thority, without suspicion of partiality. — Ernest, 
my son, thou hast heard my commands : Return 
to Geierstein with the morning’s light, and let me 
find thee an altered man wdien I return thither. ” 
The young Swiss, who was evidently much hurt 
and shocked at this public affront, placed one knee 

1 A private soldier of the German infantry. 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


133 


on the ground, and kissed his father’s right hand, 
while Arnold, without the slightest sign of anger, 
bestowed his blessing upon him; and Ernest, 
without a word of remonstrance, fell into the rear 
of the party. The deputation then proceeded down 
the avenue which had been pointed out to them, 
and at the bottom of which arose the massy ruins 
of Graffs-lUst ; but there was not enough of day- 
light remaining to discern their exact form. They 
could observe as they drew nearer, and as the night 
became darker, that three or four windows were 
lighted up, while the rest of the front remained 
obscured in gloom. When they arrived at the 
place, they perceived it was surrounded by a large 
and deep moat, the sullen surface of which re- 
flected, though faintly, the glimmer of the lights 
within. 


CHAPTER IX. 


Francisco. Give you good-night. 

Marcellus. O, farewell, honest soldier. 

Who hath relieved you? 

Francisco. Give you good-night ; Bernardo hath my place. 

Hamlet. 


The first occupation of our travellers was to find 
the means of crossing the moat, and they were not 
long of discovering the tUe de font on which the 
drawbridge, when lowered, had formerly rested. 
The bridge itself had been long decayed, but a 
temporary passage of fir-trees and planks had been 
constructed, apparently very lately, which ad- 
mitted them to the chief entrance of the castle. 
On entering it, they found a wicket opening under 
the archway, which, glimmering with light, served 
to guide them to a hall prepared evidently for 
their accommodation as well as circumstances had 
admitted of. 

A large fire of well-seasoned wood burned 
blithely in the chimney, and had been main- 
tained so long there, that the air of the hall, not- 
withstanding its great size and somewhat ruinous 
aspect, felt mild and genial. There was also at 
the end of the apartment a stack of wood, large 
enough to maintain the fire had they been to re- 
main there a week. Two or three long tables in 
the hall stood covered and ready for their recep- 
tion; and, on looking more closely, several large 
hampers were found in a corner, containing cold 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


135 


provisions of every kind, prepared with great care, 
for their immediate use. The eyes of the good 
Burgess of Soleure twinkled when he beheld the 
young men in the act of transferring the supper 
from the hampers and arranging it on the table. 

“ Well, ” said he, “ these poor men of Bale have 
saved their character; since, if they have fallen 
short in welcome, they have abounded in good 
cheer. ” 

“ Ah, friend ! * said Arnold Biederman, “ the 
absence of the landlord is a great deduction from 
the entertainment. Better half an apple from the 
hand of your host, than a bridal feast without his 
company. ” 

“ We owe them the less for their banquet, ” said 
the Banneret. “ But, from the doubtful language 
they held, I should judge it meet to keep a strong 
guard to-night, and even that some of our young 
men should, from time to time, patrol around the 
old ruins. The place is strong and defensible, and 
so far our thanks are due to those who have acted 
as our quarter-masters. We will, however, with 
your permission, my honoured brethren, examine 
the house within, and then arrange regular guards 
and patrols. — To your duty then, young men, and 
search these ruins carefully, — they may perchance 
contain more than ourselves ; for we are qow near 
one who, like a pilfering fox, moves more wil- 
lingly by night than by day, and seeks his prey 
amidst ruins and wildernesses rather than in the 
open field. ” 

All agreed to this proposal. The young men 
took torches, of which a good provision had been 
left for their use, and made a strict search through 
the ruins. 


136 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


The greater part of the castle was much more 
wasted and ruinous than the portion which {die 
citizens of Bale seemed to have destined for the 
accommodation of the embassy. Some parts were 
roofless, and the whole desolate. The glare of 
light — the gleam of arms — the sound of the 
human voice, and echoes of mortal tread, startled 
from their dark recesses bats, owls, and other birds 
of ill omen, the usual inhabitants of such time- 
worn edifices, whose flight through the desolate 
chambers repeatedly occasioned alarm amongst 
those who heard the noise without seeing the 
cause, and shouts of laughter when it became 
known. They discovered that the deep moat sur- 
rounded their place of retreat on all sides, and of 
course that they were in safety against any attack 
which could be made from without, except it was 
attempted by the main entrance, which it was 
easy to barricade, and guard with sentinels. They 
also ascertained by strict search, that though it 
was possible an individual might be concealed 
amid such a waste of ruins, yet it was altogether 
impossible that any number which might be for- 
midable to so large a party as their own could 
have remained there without a certainty of dis- 
covery. These particulars were reported to the Ban- 
neret, w^io directed Donnerhugel to take charge of 
a body of six of the young men, such as he should 
himself choose, to patrol on the outside of the 
building till the first cock-crowing, and at that 
hour to return to the castle, when the same num- 
ber were to take the duty till morning dawned, 
and then be relieved in their turn. Rudolph 
declared his own intention to remain on guard the 
whole night; and as he was equally remarkable 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


137 


for vigilance as for strength and courage, the ex- 
ternal watch was considered as safely provided 
for, it being settled that, in case of any sudden 
rencounter, the deep and hoarse sound of the Swiss 
bugle should be the signal for sending support to 
the patrolling party. 

Within side the castle the precautions were 
taken with equal vigilance. A sentinel, to be 
relieved every two hours, was appointed to take 
post at the principal gate, and other two kept 
watch on the other side of the castle, although the 
moat appeared to insure safety in that quarter. 

These precautions being taken, the remainder of 
the party sat down to refresh themselves, the 
deputies occupying the upper part of the hall, 
while those of their escort modestly arranged 
themselves in the lower end of the same large 
apartment.. Quantities of hay and straw, which 
were left piled in the wide castle, were put to the 
purpose for which undoubtedly they had been 
destined by the citizens of Bale, and, with the aid 
of cloaks and mantles, were judged excellent good 
bedding by a hardy race, who, in war or the chase, 
were often well satisfied with a much worse 
night’s lair. 

The attention of the Balese had even gone so 
far as to provide for Anne of Geierstein separate 
accommodation, more suitable to her use than that 
assigned to the men of the party. An apartment, 
which had probably been the buttery of the castle, 
entered from the hall, and had also a doorway 
leading out into a passage connected with the 
ruins; but this last had hastily, yet carefully, 
been built up with large hewn stones taken from 
the ruins; without mortar, indeed, or any other 


138 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


cement, but so well secured by their own weight, 
that an attempt to displace them must have 
alarmed not only any one who might be in the 
apartment itself, but also those who were in the 
hall adjacent, or indeed in any part of the castle. 
In the small room thus carefully arranged and 
secured there were two pallet-beds and a large fire, 
which blazed on the hearth, and gave warmth and 
comfort to the apartment. Even the means of 
devotion were not forgotten, a small crucifix of 
bronze being hung over a table, on which lay a 
breviary. 

Those who first discovered this little place of 
retreat came back loud in praise of the delicacy of 
the citizens of B&le, who, while preparing for the 
general accommodation of the strangers, had not 
failed to provide separately and peculiarly for that 
of their female companion. 

Arnold Biederman felt the kindness of this con- 
duct. “ We should pity our friends of B&le, and 
not nourish resentment against them,” he said. 
“ They have stretched their kindness towards us 
as far as their personal apprehensions permitted ; 
and that is saying no small matter for them, my 
masters, for no passion is so unutterably selfish as 
that of fear. — Anne, my love, thou art fatigued. 
Go to the retreat provided for you, and Lizette 
shall bring you from this abundant mass of pro- 
visions what will be fittest for your evening meal. ” 

So saying, he led his niece into the little bed- 
room, and, looking round with an air of compla- 
cency, wished her good repose; but there was 
something on the maiden’s brow which seemed to 
augur that her uncle’s wishes would not be fulfilled. 
From the moment she had left Switzerland, her 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


139 


looks had become clouded; her intercourse with 
those who approached her had grown more brief 
and rare ; her whole appearance was marked with 
secret anxiety or secret sorrow. This did not 
escape her uncle, who naturally imputed it to the 
pain of parting from him, which was probably 
soon to take place, and to her regret at leaving the 
tranquil spot in which so many years of her youth 
had been spent. 

But Anne of Geierstein had no sooner entered 
the apartment than her whole frame trembled vio- 
lently, and the colour leaving her cheeks entirely, 
she sank down on one of the pallets, where, rest- 
ing her elbows on her knees, and pressing her 
hands on her forehead, she rather resembled a 
person borne down by mental distress, or oppressed 
by some severe illness, than one who, tired with a 
journey, was in haste to betake herself to needful 
rest. Arnold was not quicksighted as to the many 
sources of female passion. He saw that his niece 
suffered ; but imputing it only to the causes already 
mentioned, augmented by the hysterical effects 
often produced by fatigue, he gently blamed her 
for having departed from her character of a Swiss 
maiden ere she was yet out of reach of a Swiss 
breeze of wind. 

“ Thou must not let the dames of Germany or 
Flanders think that our daughters have degene- 
rated from their mothers ; else must we fight the 
battles of Sempach and Laupen over again, to con- 
vince the Emperor, and this haughty Duke of 
Burgundy, that our men are of the same mettle 
with their forefathers. And as for our parting, 
I do not fear it. My brother is a Count of 
the Empire, indeed, and therefore he must needs 


140 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


satisfy himself that everything over which he pos- 
sesses any title shall be at his command, and sends 
for thee to prove his right of doing sa But I 
know him well : He will no sooner be satisfied 
that he may command thy attendance at pleasure, 
than he will concern himself about thee no more. 
Thee ? Alas ! poor thing, in what couldst thou 
aid his courtly intrigues and ambitious plans? 
No, no — thou art not for the noble Count’s pur- 
pose, and must be content to trudge back to rule 
the dairy at Geierstein, and be the darling of 
thine old peasantlike uncle.” 

“ Would to God we were there even now ! ” said 
the maiden, in a tone of wretchedness which she 
strove in vain to conceal or suppress. 

“ That may hardly be till we have executed the 
purpose which brought us hither, ” said the literal 
Landamman. “ But lay thee on thy pallet, Anne 
— take a morsel of food, and three drops of wine, 
and thou wilt wake to-morrow as gay as on a Swiss 
holiday, when the pipe sounds the reveille. ” 

Anne was now able to plead a severe headache, 
and declining all refreshment, which she declared 
herself incapable of tasting, she bade her uncle 
good-night. She then desired Lizette to get some 
food for herself, cautioning her, as she returned, 
to make as little noise as possible, and not to break 
her repose if she should have the good fortune to 
fall asleep. Arnold Biederman then kissed his 
niece, and returned to the hall, where his col- 
leagues in office were impatient to commence an 
attack on the provisions which were in readiness ; 
to which the escort of young men, diminished by 
the patrols and sentinels, were no less disposed 
than their seniors. 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 141 

The signal of assault was given by the Deputy 
from Schwitz, the eldest of the party, pronouncing 
in patriarchal form a benediction over the meal. 
The travellers then commenced their operations 
with a vivacity which showed that the uncertainty 
whether they should get any food, and the delays 
which had occurred in arranging themselves in 
their quarters, had infinitely increased their appe- 
tites. Even the Landamman, whose moderation 
sometimes approached to abstinence, seemed that 
night in a more genial humour than ordinary. 
His friend of Schwitz, after his example, ate, 
drank, and spoke more than usual ; while the rest 
of the deputies pushed their meal to the verge of a 
carousal. The elder Philipson marked the scene 
with an attentive and anxious eye, confining his 
applications to the wine-cup to such pledges as the 
politeness of the times called upon him to reply 
to. His son had left the hall just as the banquet 
began, in the manner which we are now to relate. 

Arthur had proposed to himself to join the 
youths who were to perform the duty of sentinels 
within, or patrols on the outside of their place of 
repose, and bad indeed made some arrangement for 
that purpose with Sigismund, the third of the 
Landamman’s sons. But while about to steal a 
parting glance at Anne of Geierstein, before offer- 
ing his service as he proposed, there appeared on 
her brow such a deep and solemn expression, as 
diverted his thoughts from every other subject, 
excepting the anxious doubts as to what could 
possibly have given rise to such a change. The 
placid openness of brow ; the eye which expressed 
conscious and fearless innocence ; the lips which, 
seconded by a look as frank as her words, seemed 


142 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


ever ready to speak, in kindness and in confidence, 
that which the heart dictated, were for the moment 
entirely changed in character and expression, and 
in a degree and manner for which no ordinary 
cause could satisfactorily account. Fatigue might 
have banished the rose from the maiden’s beauti- 
ful complexion, and sickness or pain might have 
dimmed her eye and clouded her brow. But the 
look of deep dejection with which she fixed her 
eyes at times on the ground, and the startled and 
terrified glance which she cast around her at other 
intervals, must have had their rise in some dif- 
ferent source. Neither could illness or weariness 
explain the manner in which her lips were con- 
tracted or compressed together, like one who 
makes up her mind to act or behold something 
that is fearful, or account for the tremor which 
seemed at times to steal over her insensibly, 
though by a strong effort she was able at intervals 
to throw it off. For this change of expression 
there must be in the heart some deeply melancholy 
and afflicting cause. What could that cause be ? 

It is dangerous for youth to behold beauty in 
the pomp of all her charms, with every look bent 
upon conquest — more dangerous to see her in the 
hour of unaffected and unapprehensive ease and 
simplicity, yielding herself to the graceful whim 
of the moment, and as willing to be pleased as 
desirous of pleasing. There are minds which 
may be still more affected by gazing on beauty in 
sorrow, and feeling that pity, that desire of com- 
forting the lovely mourner, which the poet has 
described as so nearly akin to love. But to a 
spirit of that romantic and adventurous cast which 
the Middle Ages frequently produced, the sight of 


ANNE OE GEIEKSTEIN. 


143 


a young and amiable person evidently in a state of 
terror and suffering, which had no visible cause, 
was perhaps still more impressive than beauty, in 
her pride, her tenderness, or her sorrow. Such 
sentiments, it must be remembered, were not con- 
fined to the highest ranks only, but might then be 
found in all classes of society which were raised 
above the mere peasant or artisan. Young Philip- 
son gazed on Anne of Geierstein with such intense 
curiosity, mingled with pity and tenderness, that 
the bustling scene around him seemed to vanish 
from his eyes, and leave no one in the noisy hall 
save himself and the object of his interest. 

What could it be that so evidently oppressed 
and almost quailed a spirit so well balanced, and 
a courage so well tempered, when, being guarded 
by the swords of the bravest men perhaps to be 
found in Europe, and lodged in a place of strength, 
even the most timid of her sex might have found 
confidence ? Surely if an attack were to be made 
upon them, the clamour of a conflict in such cir- 
cumstances could scarce be more terrific than the 
roar of those cataracts which he had seen her de- 
spise ? At least, he thought, she ought to be aware 
that there is one, who is bound by friendship and 
gratitude to fight to the death in her defence. 
Would to Heaven, he continued in the same 
reverie, it were possible to convey to her, without 
sign or speech, the assurance of my unalterable 
resolution to protect her in the worst of perils ! — 
As such thoughts streamed through his mind, Anne 
raised her eyes in one of those fits of deep feeling 
which seemed to overwhelm her; and, while she 
cast them round the hall, with a look of appre- 
hension, as if she expected to see amid the well- 


144 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


known companions of her journey some strange 
and unwelcome apparition, they encountered the 
fixed and anxious gaze of young Philipson. They 
were instantly bent on the ground, while a deep 
blush showed how much she was conscious of 
having attracted his attention by her previous 
deportment. 

Arthur, on his part, with equal consciousness, 
blushed as deeply as the maiden herself, and drew 
himself back from her observation. But when 
Anne rose up, and was escorted by her uncle to 
her bedchamber, in the manner we have already 
mentioned, it seemed to Philipson as if she had 
carried with her from the apartment the lights 
with which it was illuminated, and left it in the 
twilight melancholy of some funeral hall. His 
deep musings were pursuing the subject which 
occupied them thus anxiously, when the manly 
voice of Donnerhugel spoke close in his ear — 

“ What, comrade, has our journey to-day fatigued 
you so much that you go to sleep upon your feet ? ” 

“ Now Heaven forbid, Hauptman,” said the Eng- 
lishman, starting from his reverie, and addressing 
Rudolph by this name (signifying Captain, or lite- 
rally Head-man), which the youth of the expedition 
had by unanimous consent bestowed on him, — 
“ Heaven forbid I should sleep, if there be aught 
like action in the wind. ” 

“ Where dost thou propose to be at cock-crow ? ” 
said the Swiss. 

“ Where duty shall call me, or your experience, 
noble Hauptman, shall appoint,” replied Arthur. 

“ But, with your leave, I purposed to take Sigis- 
mund’s guard on the bridge till midnight or 
morning dawn. He still feels the sprain which he 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


i45 


received in his. spring after yonder chamois, and I 
persuaded him to take some uninterrupted rest, as 
the best mode of restoring his strength. ” 

“ He will do well to keep his counsel, then, ” 
again whispered Donnerhugel ; “ the old Landam- 
man is not a man to make allowances for mishaps, 
when they interfere with duty. Those who are 
under his orders should have as few brains as a 
bull, as strong limbs as a bear, and be as impas- 
sible as lead or iron to all the casualties of life, 
and all the weaknesses of humanity. ” 

Arthur replied in the same tone : “ I have been 
the Landamman’s guest for some time, and have 
seen no specimens of any such rigid discipline. ” 

“ You are a stranger, ” said the Swiss, “ and the 
old man has too much hospitality to lay you under 
the least restraint. You are a volunteer, too, in 
whatever share you choose to take in our sports or 
our military duty ; and therefore, when I ask you 
to walk abroad with me at the first cock-crowing, 
it is only in the event that such exercise shall 
entirely consist with your own pleasure. ” 

“ I consider myself as under your command for 
the time, ” said Philipson ; “ but, not to bandy 
courtesy, at cock-crow I shall be relieved from my 
watch on the drawbridge, and will be by that time 
glad to exchange the post for a more extended 
walk. * 

“ Do you not choose more of this fatiguing, and 
probably unnecessary duty, than may befit your 
strength ? ” said Rudolph. 

“ I take no more than you do, ” said Arthur, 
“ as you propose not to take rest till morning. ” 

“ True, ” answered Donnerhugel, “ but I am a 
Swiss. ” 

VOL. I. — 10 


146 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


“ And I, ” answered Philipson quickly, “ am an 
Englishman. ” 

“ I did not mean what I said in the sense you 
take it, ” said Rudolph, laughing ; “ I only meant, 
that I am more interested in this matter than you 
can be, who are a stranger to the cause in which 
we are personally engaged. ” 

“ I am a stranger, no doubt, ” replied Arthur ; 
“ but a stranger who has enjoyed your hospitality, 
and who, therefore, claims a right, while with 
you, to a share in your labours and dangers. ” 

“ Be it so, ” said Rudolph Donnerhugel. “ I 
shall have finished my first rounds at the hour 
when the sentinels at the castle are relieved, and 
shall he ready to recommence them in your good 
company. ” 

“ Content, ” said the Englishman. “ And now I 
will to my post, for I suspect Sigismund is blaming 
me already, as oblivious of my promise. ” 

They hastened together to the gate, where Sigis- 
mund willingly yielded up his weapon and his 
guard to young Philipson, confirming the idea 
sometimes entertained of him, that he was the 
most indolent and least spirited of the family of 
Geierstein. Rudolph could not suppress his dis- 
pleasure. 

“ What would the Landamman say, ” he de- 
manded, “ if he saw thee thus quietly yield up 
post and partisan to a stranger ? ” 

“ He would say I did well, ” answered the young 
man, nothing daunted ; “ for he is for ever remind- 
ing us to let the stranger have his own way in 
everything; and English Arthur stands on this 
bridge by his own wish, and no asking of mine. — 
Therefore, kind Arthur, since thou wilt barter 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


147 


warm straw and a sound sleep for frosty air and a 
clear moonlight, I make thee welcome with all my 
heart. Hear your duty. You are to stop all who 
enter, or attempt to enter, or till they give the 
password. If they are strangers, you must give 
alarm. But you will suffer such of our friends as 
are known to you to pass outwards, without chal- 
lenge or alarm, because the deputation may find 
occasion to send messengers abroad. ” 

“ A murrain on thee, thou lazy losel ! ” said 
Rudolph — “ Thou art the only sluggard of thy 
kin. ” 

“ Then am I the only wise man of them all, ” 
said the youth. — “ Hark ye, brave Hauptman, ye 
have supped this evening, — have ye not ? ” 

“ It is a point of wisdom, ye owl, ” answered 
the Bernese, “ not to go into the forest fasting. ” 

“ If it is wisdom to eat when we are hungry, ” 
answered Sigismund, “ there can be no folly in 
sleeping when we are weary. ” So saying, and 
after a desperate yawn or two, the relieved sen- 
tinel halted off, giving full effect to the sprain of 
which he complained. 

“ Yet there is strength in those loitering limbs, 
and valour in that indolent and sluggish spirit, ” 
said Rudolph to the Englishman. “ But it is time 
that I, who censure others, should betake me to 
my own task. — Hither, comrades of the watch, 
hither. ” 

The Bernese accompanied these words with a 
whistle, which brought from within six young 
men, whom he had previously chosen for the 
duty, and who, after a hurried supper, now waited 
his summons. One or two of them had large 
bloodhounds or lyme-dogs, which, though usually 


148 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


employed in the pursuit of animals of chase, were 
also excellent for discovering ambuscades, in which 
duty their services were now to be employed. One 
of these animals was held in a leash, by the per- 
son who, forming the advance of the party, went 
about twenty yards in front of them ; a second was 
the property of Donnerhugel himself, who had the 
creature singularly under command. Three of his 
companions attended him closely, and the two 
others followed, one of whom bore a horn of the 
Bernese wild bull, by way of bugle. This little 
party crossed the moat by the temporary bridge, 
and moved on to the verge of the forest, which lay 
adjacent to the castle, and the skirts of which 
were most likely to conceal any ambuscade that 
could be apprehended. The moon was now up, and 
near the full, so that Arthur, from the elevation 
on which the castle stood, could trace their slow, 
cautious march, amid the broad silver light, until 
they were lost in the depths of the forest. 

When this object had ceased to occupy his eyes, 
the thoughts of his lonely watch again returned 
to Anne of Geierstein, and to the singular expres- 
sion of distress and apprehension which had that 
evening clouded her beautiful features. Then the 
blush which had chased, for the moment, paleness 
and terror from her countenance, at the instant 
his eyes encountered hers — was it anger — was it 
modesty — was it some softer feeling, more gentle 
than the one, more tender than the other? Young 
Philipson, who, like Chaucer’s Squire, was “ as 
modest as a maid, ” almost trembled to give to 
that look the favourable interpretation which a 
more self-satisfied gallant would have applied to it 
without scruple. No hue of rising or setting day 


ANNE 0 E GEIERSTEIN. 


149 


was ever so lovely in the eyes of the young man as 
that blush was in his recollection ; nor did ever 
enthusiastic visionary or poetical dreamer find out 
so many fanciful forms in the clouds, as Arthur 
divined various interpretations from the indications 
of interest which had passed over the beautiful 
countenance of the Swiss maiden. 

In the meantime, the thought suddenly burst on 
his reverie, that it could little concern him what 
was the cause of the perturbation she had ex- 
hibited. They had met at no distant period for 
the first time — they must soon part for ever. She 
could be nothing more to him than the remem- 
brance of a beautiful vision, and he could have no 
other part in her memory save as a stranger from a 
foreign land, who had been a sojourner for a season 
in her uncle’s house, but whom she could never 
expect to see again. When this idea intruded on 
the train of romantic visions which agitated him, 
it was like the sharp stroke of the harpoon, which 
awakens the whale from slumbering torpidity into 
violent action. The gateway in which the young 
soldier kept his watch seemed suddenly too narrow 
for him. He rushed across the temporary bridge, 
and hastily traversed a short space of ground in 
front of the tete de pont, or defensive work, on 
which its outer extremity rested. 

Here for a time he paced the narrow extent to 
which he was confined by his duty as a sentinel, 
with long and rapid strides, as if he had been 
engaged by vow to take the greatest possible quan- 
tity of exercise upon that limited space of ground. 
His exertion, however, produced the effect of in 
some degree composing his mind, recalling him 
to himself, and reminding him of the numerous 


ISO 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


reasons which prohibited his fixing his attention, 
much more his affections, upon this young person, 
however fascinating she was. 

I have surely, he thought, as he slackened his 
pace, and shouldered his heavy partisan, sense 
enough left to recollect my condition and my 
duties — to think of my father, to whom I am all 
in all — and to think also on the dishonour which 
must accrue to me, were I capable of winning the 
affections of a frank -hearted and confiding girl, to 
whom I could never do justice by dedicating my 
life to return them. “ No, ” he said to himself, 
“ she will soon forget me, and I will study to re- 
member her no otherwise than I would a pleasing 
dream, which hath for a moment crossed a night 
of perils and dangers, such as my life seems doomed 
to be. ” 

As he spoke, he stopped short in his walk, and 
as he rested on his weapon a tear rose unbidden to 
his eye, and stole down his cheek without being 
wiped away. But he combated this gentler mood 
of passion as he had formerly battled with that 
which was of a wilder and more desperate cha- 
racter. Shaking off the dejection and sinking 
of spirit which he felt creeping upon him, he 
resumed, at the same time, the air and attitude of 
an attentive sentinel, and recalled his mind to the 
duties of his watch, which, in the tumult of his 
feelings, he had almost forgotten. But what was 
his astonishment, when, as he looked out on the 
clear landscape, there passed from the bridge 
towards the forest, crossing him in the broad 
moonlight, the living and moving likeness of 
Anne of Geierstein! 


CHAPTER X. 


We know not when we sleep nor when we wake. 

Visions distinct and perfect cross our eye, 

Which to the slumberer seem realities ; 

And while they waked, some men have seen such sights 
As set at naught the evidence of sense, 

And left them well persuaded they were dreaming. 

Anonymous. 

The apparition of Anne of Geierstein crossed her 
lover — her admirer, at least we must call him — 
within shorter time than we can tell the story. 
But it was distinct, perfect, and undoubted. In 
the very instant when the young Englishman, 
shaking off his fond despondency, raised his head 
to look out upon the scene of his watch, she came 
from the nearer end of the bridge, crossing the 
path of the sentinel, upon whom she did not even 
cast a look, and passed with a rapid yet steady 
pace towards the verge of the woodland. 

It would have been natural, though Arthur had 
been directed not to challenge persons who left the 
castle, but only such as might approach it, that 
he should nevertheless, had it only been in mere 
civility, have held some communication, however 
slight, with the maiden as she crossed his post. 
But the suddenness of her appearance took from 
him for the instant both speech and motion. It 
seemed as if his own imagination had raised up 
a phantom, presenting to his outward senses the 
form and features which engrossed his mind ; and 


152 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


he was silent, partly at least from the idea that 
what he gazed upon was immaterial and not of 
this world. 

It would have been no less natural that Anne of 
Geierstein should have in some manner acknow- 
ledged the person who had spent a considerable 
time under the same, roof with her, had been often 
her partner in the dance, and her companion in 
the field; but she did not evince the slightest 
token of recognition, nor even look towards him as 
she passed; her eye was on the wood, to which 
she advanced swiftly and steadily, and she was 
hidden by its boughs ere Arthur had recollected 
himself sufficiently to determine what to do. 

His first feeling was anger at himself for suffer- 
ing her to pass unquestioned, when it might well 
chance that upon any errand which called her 
forth at so extraordinary a time and place he 
might have been enabled to afford her assistance, 
or at least advice. This sentiment was for a short 
time so predominant, that he ran towards the place 
where he had seen the skirt of her dress disappear, 
and, whispering her name as loud as the fear of 
alarming the castle permitted, conjured her to re- 
turn, and hear him but for a few brief moments. 
No answer, however, was returned; and when the 
branches of the trees began to darken over his head 
and to intercept the moonlight, he recollected that 
he was leaving his post, and exposing his fellow- 
travellers, who were trusting in his vigilance, to 
the danger of surprise. 

He hastened, therefore, back to the castle gate, 
with matter for deeper and more inextricable doubt 
and anxiety than had occupied him during the 
commencement of his watch. He asked himself 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


53 


in vain with what purpose that modest young 
maiden, whose manners were frank, but whose con- 
duct had always seemed so delicate and reserved, 
could sally forth at midnight like a damsel-errant 
in romance, when she was in a strange country 
and suspicious neighbourhood ; yet he rejected, as 
he would have shrunk from blasphemy, any inter- 
pretation which could have thrown censure upon 
Anne of G-eierstein. No, nothing was she capable 
of doing for which a friend could have to blush. 
But connecting her previous agitation with the 
extraordinary fact of her leaving the castle, alone 
and defenceless, at such an hour, Arthur neces- 
sarily concluded it must argue some cogent reason, 
and, as was most likely, of an unpleasant nature. 
— “I will watch her return, ” he internally uttered, 
“ and, if she will give me an opportunity, I will 
convey to her the assurance that there is one faith- 
ful bosom in her neighbourhood, which is bound 
in honour and gratitude to pour out every drop of 
its blood, if by doing so it can protect her from 
the slightest inconvenience. This is no silly flight 
of romance, for which common-sense has a right to 
reproach me ; it is only what I ought to do, what 
I must do, or forego every claim to be termed a 
man of honesty or honour.” 

Yet scarce did the young man think himself 
anchored on a resolution which seemed unobjec- 
tionable, than his thoughts were again adrift. He 
reflected that Anne might have a desire to visit 
the neighbouring town of Bale, to which she had 
been invited the day before, and where her uncle 
had friends. It was indeed an uncommon hour to 
select for such a purpose; but Arthur was aware 
that the Swiss maidens feared neither solitary 


154 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


walks nor late hours, and that Anne would have 
walked among her own hills by moonlight much 
farther than the distance betwixt their place of en- 
campment and Bale, to see a sick friend, or for 
any similar purpose. To press himself on her 
confidence, then, might be impertinence, not kind- 
ness ; and as she had passed him without taking 
the slightest notice of his presence, it was evident 
she did not mean voluntarily to make him her 
confidant; and probably she was involved in no 
difficulties where his aid could be useful. In that 
case, the duty of a gentleman was to permit her to 
return as she had gone forth, unnoticed and unques- 
tioned, leaving it with herself to hold communica- 
tion with him or not as she should choose. 

Another idea, belonging to the age, also passed 
through his mind, though it made no strong im- 
pression upon it. This form, so perfectly resem- 
bling Anne of Geierstein, might be a deception of 
the sight, or it might be one of those fantastic 
apparitions, concerning which there were so many 
tales told in all countries, and of which Switzer- 
land and Germany had, as Arthur well knew, their 
full share. The internal and undefinable feelings 
which restrained him from accosting the maiden, 
as might have been natural for him to have done, 
are easily explained, on the supposition that his 
mortal frame shrank from an encounter with a 
being of a different nature. There had also been 
some expressions of the magistrate of Bale, which 
might apply to the castle’s being liable to be 
haunted by beings from another world. But though 
the general belief in such ghostly apparitions 
prevented the Englishman from being positively 
incredulous on the -subject, yet the instructions of 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


155 


his father, a man of great intrepidity and distin- 
guished good sense, had taught him to be extremely 
unwilling to refer anything to supernatural inter- 
ferences which was capable of explanation by 
ordinary rules ; and he therefore shook off, without 
difficulty, any feelings of superstitious fear which 
for an instant connected itself with his nocturnal 
adventure. He resolved finally to suppress all 
disquieting conjecture on the subject, and to await 
firmly, if not patiently, the return of the fair 
vision, which, if it should not fully explain the 
mystery, seemed at least to afford the only chance 
of throwing light upon it. 

Fixed, therefore, in purpose, he traversed the 
walk which his duty permitted, with his eyes 
fixed on the part of the forest where he had seen 
the beloved form disappear, and forgetful for the 
moment that his watch had any other purpose than 
to observe her return. But from this abstrac- 
tion of mind he was roused by a distant sound 
in the forest, which seemed the clash of armour. 
Recalled at once to a sense of his duty, and its 
importance to his father and his fellow-travellers, 
Arthur planted himself on the temporary bridge, 
where a stand could best be made, and turned both 
eyes and ears to watch for approaching danger. 
The sound of arms and footsteps came nearer — 
spears and helmets advanced from the greenwood 
glade, and twinkled in the moonlight. But the 
stately form of Rudolph Donnerhugel, marching 
in front, was easily recognised, and announced to 
our sentinel the return of the patrol. Upon their 
approach to the bridge, the challenge, and inter- 
change of sign and countersign, which is usual on 
such occasions, took place in due form ; and as 


56 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


Rudolph’s party filed off one after another into the 
castle, he commanded them to wake their com- 
panions, with whom he intended to renew the 
patrol, and at the same time to send a relief to 
Arthur Philipson, whose watch on the bridge was 
now ended. This last fact was confirmed by the 
deep and distant toll of the Minster clock from 
the town of Bale, which, prolonging its sullen 
sound over field and forest, announced that mid- 
night was past. 

“ And now, comrade, ” continued Rudolph to the 
Englishman, “ have the cold air and long watch 
determined thee to retire to food and rest, or dost 
thou still hold the intention of partaking our 
rounds ? ” 

In very truth it would have been Arthur’s 
choice to have remained in the place where he 
was, for the purpose of watching Anne of Geier- 
stein’s return from her mysterious excursion. He 
could not easily have found an excuse for this, 
however, and he was unwilling to give the haughty 
Donnerhugel the least suspicion that he was in- 
ferior in hardihood, or in the power of enduring 
fatigue, to any of the tall mountaineers, whose 
companion he chanced to be for the present. He 
did not, therefore, indulge even a moment’s hesi- 
tation ; but while he restored the borrowed partisan 
to the sluggish Sigismund, who came from the 
castle yawning and stretching himself like one 
whose slumbers had been broken by no welcome 
summons, when they were deepest and sweetest, 
he acquainted Rudolph that he retained his pur- 
pose of partaking in his reconnoitring duty. They 
were speedily joined by the rest of the patrolling 
party, amongst whom was Rudiger, the eldest son 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


iS7 


of the Landamman of Unterwalden ; and when, led 
by the Bernese champion, they had reached the 
skirts of the forest, Rudolph commanded three of 
them to attend Rudiger Biederman. 

“ Thou wilt make thy round to the left side, ” 
said the Bernese ; “ I will draw off to the right — • 
see thou keepest a good look-out, and we will meet 
merrily at the place appointed. Take one of the 
hounds with you. I will keep Wolf-f anger, who 
will open on a Burgundian as readily as on a bear. ” 

Rudiger moved off with his party to the left, 
according to the directions received ; and Rudolph, 
having sent forward one of his number in front, 
and stationed another in the rear, commanded the 
third to follow himself and Arthur Philipson, who 
thus constituted the main body of the patrol. 
Having intimated to their immediate attendant to 
keep at such distance as to allow them freedom of 
conversation, Rudolph addressed the Englishman 
with the familiarity which their recent friendship 
had created. — “ And now, King Arthur, what 
thinks the Majesty of England of our Helvetian 
youth ? Could they win guerdon in tilt or tourney, 
thinkest thou, noble prince ? Or would they rank 
but amongst the coward knights of Cornouailles ? 

“ For tilt and tourney I cannot answer, ” said 
Arthur, summoning up his spirits to reply, “ be- 
cause I never beheld one of you mounted on a 
steed, or having spear in rest. But if strong limbs 
and stout hearts are to be considered, I would 
match you Swiss gallants with those of any coun- 
try in the universe, where manhood is to be looked 
for, whether it be in heart or hand. ” 

1 The chivalry of Cornwall are generally undervalued in the 
Norman-French romances. The cause is difficult to discover. 


i 5 8 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


“ Thou speakest us fair ; and, young English- 
man, ” said Rudolph, “ know that we think as 
highly of thee, of which I will presently afford 
thee a proof. Thou talkedst but now of horses. I 
know but little of them ; yet I judge thou wouldst 
not buy a steed which thou hadst only seen covered 
with trappings, or encumbered with saddle and 
bridle, but wouldst desire to look at him when 
stripped, and in his natural state of freedom ? ” 

“ Ay, marry, would I, ” said Arthur. “ Thou 
hast spoken on that as if thou hadst been born in 
a district called Yorkshire, which men call the 
merriest part of Merry England. ” 

“ Then I tell thee, ” said Rudolph Donnerhugel, 
“ that thou hast seen our Swiss youth but half, 
since thou hast observed them as yet only in their 
submissive attendance upon the elders of their 
Cantons, or, at most, in their mountain-sports, 
which, though they may show men’s outward 
strength and activity, can throw no light on the 
spirit and disposition by which that strength and 
activity are to be guided and directed in matters 
of high enterprise. ” 

The Swiss probably designed that these remarks 
should excite the curiosity of the stranger. But 
the Englishman had the image, look, and form of 
Anne of Geierstein, as she had passed him in the 
silent hours of his watch, too constantly before 
him, to enter willingly upon a subject of conver- 
sation totally foreign to what agitated his mind. 
He, therefore, only compelled himself to reply in 
civility, that he had no doubt his esteem for the 
Swiss, both aged and young, would increase in 
proportion with his more intimate knowledge of 
the nation. 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


159 


He was then silent ; and Donnerhugel, disap- 
pointed, perhaps, at having failed to excite his 
curiosity, walked also in silence by his side. 
Arthur, meanwhile, was considering with himself 
whether he should mention to his companion the 
circumstance which occupied his own mind, in 
the hope that the kinsman of Anne of Geierstein, 
and ancient friend of her house, might be able to 
throw some light on the subject. 

But he felt within his mind an insurmountable 
objection to converse with the Swiss on a subject 
in which Anne was concerned. That Rudolph 
made pretensions to her favour could hardly be 
doubted ; and though Arthur, had the question 
been put to him, must in common consistency 
have resigned all competition on the subject, still 
he could not bear to think on the possibility of 
his rival’s success, and would not willingly have 
endured to hear him pronounce her name. 

Perhaps it was owing to this secret irritability 
that Arthur, though he made every effort to con- 
ceal and to overcome the sensation, still felt 
a secret dislike to Rudolph Donnerhugel, whose 
frank but somewhat coarse familiarity was mingled 
with a certain air of protection and patronage, 
which the Englishman thought was by no means 
called for. He met the openness of the Bernese, 
indeed, with equal frankness, but he was ever and 
anon tempted to reject or repel the tone of supe- 
riority by which it was accompanied. The cir- 
cumstances of their duel had given the Swiss no 
ground for such triumph ; nor did Arthur feel him- 
self included in that roll of the Swiss youth over 
whom Rudolph exercised domination by general 
consent. So little did Philipson relish this affec- 


i6o 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


tation of superiority, that the poor jest, that termed 
him King Arthur, although quite indifferent to 
him when applied by any of the Biedermans, was 
rather offensive when Rudolph took the same 
liberty ; so that he often found himself in the awk- 
ward condition of one who is internally irritated, 
without having any outward manner of testifying 
it with propriety. Undoubtedly, the root of all this 
tacit dislike to the young Bernese was a feeling 
of rivalry; but it was a feeling which Arthur 
dared not avow even to himself. It was suffi- 
ciently powerful, however, to suppress the slight 
inclination he had felt to speak with Rudolph on 
the passage of the night which had most interested 
him; and as the topic of conversation introduced 
by his companion had been suffered to drop, they 
walked on side by side in silence, “ with the beard 
on the shoulder, ” as the Spaniard says — looking 
round, that is, on all hands ; and thus performing 
the duty of a vigilant watch. 

At length, after they had walked nearly a mile 
through forest and field, making a circuit around 
the ruins of Graffs-lust, of such an extent as to 
leave no room for an ambush betwixt them and 
the place, the old hound, led by the vidette who 
was foremost, stopped, and uttered a low growl. 

“How now, Wolf-fanger ! ” said Rudolph, ad- 
vancing. — “ What, old fellow ! dost thou not 
know friends from foes ? Come, what sayest thou, 
on better thoughts ? — Thou must not lose charac- 
ter in thy old age — try it again. ” 

The dog raised his head, snuffed the air all 
around, as if he understood what his master had 
said, then shook his head and tail, as if answering 
to his voice. 


ANNE 0 E GEIERSTEIN. 


161 


“ Why, there it is now, ” said Donnerhugel, pat- 
ting the animal’s shaggy hack; “ second thoughts 
are worth gold ; thou seest it is a friend after all. ” 
The dog again shook his tail, and moved for- 
ward with the same unconcern as before ; Rudolph 
fell back into his place, and his companion said 
to him — 

“ We are about to meet Rudiger and our com- 
panions, I suppose, and the dog hears their foot- 
steps, though we cannot.” 

“ It can scarcely yet he Rudiger, ” said the Ber- 
nese ; “ his walk around the castle is of a wider 
circumference than ours. Some one approaches, 
however, for Wolf-f anger is again dissatisfied — 
Look sharply out on all sides.” 

As Rudolph gave his party the word to be on 
the alert, they reached an open glade, in which 
were scattered, at considerable distance from each 
other, some old pine-trees of gigantic size, which 
seemed yet huger and blacker than ordinary, from 
their broad sable tops and shattered branches being 
displayed against the clear and white moonlight. 
“We shall here, at least, ” said the Swiss, “ have 
the advantage of seeing clearly whatever approaches. 
But I judge, ” said he, after looking around for a 
minute, “ it is but some wolf or deer that has 
crossed our path, and the scent disturbs the hound 
— Hold — stop — yes, it must be so ; he goes on. ” 
The dog accordingly proceeded, after having 
given some signs of doubt, uncertainty, and even 
anxiety. Apparently, however, he became recon- 
ciled to what had disturbed him, and proceeded 
once more in the ordinary manner. 

“ This is singular ! ” said Arthur Philipson ; 
“ and, to my thinking, I saw an object close by 

VOL. i. — 1 1 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


162 

yonder patch of thicket, where, as well as I can 
guess, a few thorn and hazel bushes surround the 
stems of four or five large trees. ” 

“ My eye has been on that very thicket for 
these five minutes past, and I saw nothing, ” said 
Eudolph. 

“Nay, but,” answered the young Englishman, 
“ I saw the object, whatever it was, while you 
were engaged in attending to the dog. And by 
your permission, I will forward and examine the 
spot. ” 

“ Were you, strictly speaking, under my com- 
mand, ” said Donnerhugel, “ I would command you 
to keep your place. If they be foes, it is essential 
that we should remain together. But you are a 
volunteer in our watch, and therefore may use your 
freedom. ” 

“ I thank you, ” answered Arthur, and sprang 
quickly forward. 

He felt, indeed, at the moment, that he was not 
acting courteously as an individual, nor perhaps 
correctly as a soldier ; and that he ought to have 
rendered obedience, for the time, to the captain of 
the party in which he had enlisted himself. But, 
on the other hand, the object which he had seen, 
though at a distance and imperfectly, seemed to 
bear a resemblance to the retiring form of Anne of 
Geierstein, as she had vanished from his eyes, an 
hour or two before, under the cover of the forest; 
and his ungovernable curiosity to ascertain whether 
it might not be the maiden in person, allowed him 
to listen to no other consideration. 

Ere Eudolph had spoken out his few words of 
reply, Arthur was halfway to the thicket. It was, 
as it had seemed at a distance, of small extent. 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


163 


and not fitted to hide any person who did not 
actually couch down amongst the dwarf bushes 
and underwood. Anything white, also, which bore 
the human size and form must, he thought, have 
been discovered among the dark-red stems and 
swarthy-coloured bushes which were before him. 
These observations were mingled with other 
thoughts. If it was Anne of Geierstein whom 
he had a second time seen, she must have left the 
more open path, desirous probably of avoiding 
notice ; and what right or title had he to direct 
upon her the observation of the patrol ? He had, 
he thought, observed that, in general, the maiden 
rather repelled than encouraged the attentions of 
Kudolph Donnerhugel; or, where it would have 
been discourteous to have rejected them entirely, 
that she endured without encouraging them. 
What, then, could be the propriety of his intrud- 
ing upon her private walk, singular, indeed, from 
time and place, but which, on that account, she 
might be more desirous to keep secret from the 
observation of one who Was disagreeable to her? 
Nay, 'was it not possible that Rudolph might 
derive advantage to his otherwise unacceptable 
suit, by possessing the knowledge of something 
which the maiden desired to be concealed? 

As these thoughts pressed upon him, Arthur 
made a pause, with his eyes fixed on the thicket, 
from which he was now scarce thirty yards dis- 
tant; and although scrutinising it with all the 
keen accuracy which his uncertainty and anxiety 
dictated, he was actuated by a strong feeling that 
it would be wisest to turn back to his companions, 
and report to Rudolph that his eyes had deceived 
him. 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


164 

But while he was yet undecided whether to 
advance or return, the. object which he had seen 
became again visible on the verge of the thicket, 
and advanced straight towards him, bearing, as on 
the former occasion, the exact dress and figure of 
Anne of Geierstein ! This vision — for the time, 
place, and suddenness of the appearance made it 
seem rather an illusion than a reality — struck 
Arthur with surprise, which amounted to terror. 
The figure passed within a spear’s-length, unchal- 
lenged by him, and giving not the slightest sign 
of recognition; and, directing its course to the 
right hand of Rudolph, and the two or three who 
were with him, was again lost among the broken 
ground and bushes. 

Once more the young man was reduced to a state 
of the most inextricable doubt ; nor was he roused 
from the stupor into which he was thrown, till 
the voice of the Bernese sounded in his ear — 
“ Why, how now, King Arthur — art thou asleep, 
or art thou wounded ? ” 

“ Neither, ” said Philipson, collecting himself ; 

“ only much surprised. ” 

“Surprised? and at what, most royal” 

“Forbear foolery,” said Arthur, somewhat 
sternly, “ and answer as thou art a man — Did she 
not meet thee ? — didst thou not see her ? ” 

“ See her ! — see whom ? ” said Donnerhugel. 

“ I saw no one. And I could have sworn you had 
seen no one either, for I had you in my eye the 
whole time of your absence, excepting two or three 
moments. If you saw aught, why gave you not 
the alarm ? ” 

“ Because it was only a woman, ” answered 
Arthur, faintly. 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


165 


“ Only a woman ! ” repeated Rudolph, in a tone 
of contempt. “ By my honest word, King Arthur, 
if I had not seen pretty flashes of valour fly from 
thee at times, I should be apt to think that thou 
hadst only a woman’s courage thyself. Strange, 
that a shadow by night, or a precipice in the day, 
should quell so bold a spirit as thou hast often 
shown” 

“ And as I will ever show, when occasion demands 
it, ” interrupted the Englishman, with recovered 
spirit. “ But I swear to you, that if I be now 
daunted, it is by no mere earthly fears that my 
mind hath been for a moment subdued. ” 

“ Let us proceed on our walk, ” said Rudolph ; 
“ we must not neglect the safety of our friends. 
This appearance, of which thou speakest, may be 
but a trick to interrupt our duty. ” 

They moved on through the moonlight glades. 
A minute’s reflection restored young Philipson to 
his full recollection, and with that to the painful 
consciousness that he had played a ridiculous and 
unworthy part in the presence of the person whom 
(of the male sex, at least) he would the very last 
have chosen as a witness of his weakness. 

He ran hastily over the relations which stood 
betwixt himself, Donnerhugel, the Landamman, 
his niece, and the rest of that family ; and, con- 
trary to the opinion which he had entertained but 
a short while before, settled in his own mind that 
it was his duty to mention to the immediate leader 
under whom he had placed himself, the appear- 
ance which he had twice observed in the course of 
that night’s duty. There might be family circum- 
stances — the payment of a vow, perhaps, or some 
such reason — which might render intelligible to 


1 66 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


her connections the behaviour of this young lady. 
Besides, he was for the present a soldier on duty, 
and these mysteries might be fraught with evils 
to be anticipated or guarded against; in either 
case, his companions were entitled to be made 
aware of what he had seen. It must be supposed 
that this resolution was adopted when the sense 
of duty, and of shame for the weakness which 
he had exhibited, had for the moment subdued 
Arthur’s personal feelings towards Anne of Geier- 
stein — feelings, also, liable to be chilled by the 
mysterious uncertainty which the events of that 
evening had cast, like a thick mist, around the 
object of them. 

While the Englishman’s reflections were taking 
this turn, his captain or companion, after a silence 
of several minutes, at length addressed him. 

“ I believe, ” he said, “ my dear comrade, that, 
as being at present your officer, I have some title 
to hear from you the report of what you have just 
now seen, since it must be something of impor- 
tance which could so strongly agitate a mind so 
firm as yours. But if, in your own opinion, it 
consists with the general safety to delay your 
report of what you have seen until we return to 
the castle, and then to deliver it to the private ear 
of the Landamman, you have only to intimate 
your purpose; and, far from urging you to place 
confidence in me personally, though I hope I am not 
undeserving of it, I will authorise your leaving 
us, and returning instantly to the castle. ” 

This proposal touched him to whom it was made 
exactly in the right place. An absolute demand 
of his confidence might perhaps have been declined ; 
the tone of moderate request and conciliation 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 167 

fell presently in with the Englishman’s own 
reflections. 

“ I am sensible, ” he said, “ Hauptman, that I 
ought to mention to you that which I have seen 
to-night ; but on the first occasion, it did not fall 
within my duty to do so; and, now that I have 
a second time witnessed the same appearance, I 
have felt for these few seconds so much surprised 
at what I have seen, that even yet I can scarce 
find words to express it. ” 

“ As I cannot guess what you may have to 
say, ” replied the Bernese, “ I must beseech you to 
be explicit. We are but poor readers of riddles, we 
thick-headed Switzers. ” 

“ Yet it is but a riddle which I have to place 
before you, Budolph Donnerhugel,” answered the 
Englishman, “ and a riddle which is far beyond 
my own guessing at. ” He then proceeded, though 
not without hesitation, “ While you were perform- 
ing your first patrol amongst the ruins, a female 
crossed the bridge from within the castle, walked 
by my post without saying a single word, and 
vanished under the shadows of the forest. ” 

“ Ha ! ” exclaimed Donnerhugel, and made no 
further answer. 

Arthur proceeded. “ Within these five minutes, 
the same female form passed me a second time, is- 
suing from the little thicket and clump of firs, and 
disappeared, without exchanging a word. Know, 
further, this apparition bore the form, face, gait, 
and dress of your kinswoman, Anne of Geierstein. ” 
“ Singular enough, ” said Rudolph, in a tone of 
incredulity. “ I must not, I suppose, dispute your 
word, for you would receive doubt on my part as 
a mortal injury — such is your northern chivalry. 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


1 68 

Yet, let me say, I have eyes as well as you, and 
I scarce think they quitted you for a minute. 
We were not fifty yards from the place where I 
found you standing in amazement. How, there- 
fore, should not we also have seen that which you 
say and think you saw ? ” 

“ To that I can give no answer, ” said Arthur. 
“ Perhaps your eyes were not exactly turned upon 
me during the short space in which I saw this 
form — perhaps it might be visible — as they say 
fantastic appearances sometimes are — to only one 
person at a time.” 

“ You suppose, then, that the appearance w T as 
imaginary, or fantastic ? ” said the Bernese. 

“ Can I tell you ? ” replied the Englishman. 

“ The Church gives its warrant that there are such 
things ; and surely it is more natural to believe 
this apparition to be an illusion, than to suppose 
that Anne of Geierstein, a gentle and well- 
nurtured maiden, should be traversing the woods 
at this wild hour, when safety and propriety so 
strongly recommend her being within doors. ” 

“ There is much in what you say, ” said Rudolph ; 
“ and yet there are stories afloat, though few care 
to mention them, which seem to allege that Anne 
of Geierstein is not altogether such as other 
maidens ; and that she has been met with, in body 
and spirit, where she could hardly have come by 
her own unassisted efforts. ” 

“ Ha ! ” said Arthur ; “ so young, so beautiful, 
and already in league with the destroyer of man- 
kind ! It is impossible. ” 

“ I said not so, ” replied the Bernese ; “ nor have 
I leisure at present to explain my meaning more 
fully. As we return to the castle of Graffs-lust, I 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


169 

may have an opportunity to tell you more. But 
I chiefly brought you on this patrol to introduce 
you to some friends, whom you will he pleased to 
know, and who desire your acquaintance ; and it 
is here I expect to meet them. ” 

So saying, he turned round the projecting corner 
of a rock, and an unexpected scene was presented 
to the eyes of the young Englishman. 

In a sort of nook, or corner, screened by the 
rocky projection, there burned a large fire of wood, 
and around it sat, reclined, or lay, twelve or 
fifteen young men in the Swiss garb, but decorated 
with ornaments and embroidery, which reflected 
back the light of the fire. The same red gleam 
was returned by silver wine-cups, which circulated 
from hand to hand with the flasks which filled 
them. Arthur could also observe the relics of a 
banquet, to which due honour seemed to have been 
lately rendered. 

The revellers started joyfully up at the sight 
of Donnerhugel and his companions, and saluted 
him, easily distinguished as he was by his stature, 
by the title of Captain, warmly and exultingly 
uttered, while, at the same time, every tendency 
to noisy acclamation was cautiously suppressed. 
The zeal indicated that Rudolph came most wel- 
come — the caution that he came in secret, and 
was to be received with mystery. 

To the general greeting he answered, — “I thank 
you, my brave comrades. Has Rudiger yet reached 
you? * 

“ Thou seest he has not, ” said one of the party ; 
“ had it been so, we would have detained him here 
till your coming, brave Captain. ” 

“ He has loitered on his patrol, ” said the Ber- 


170 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


nese. “ We too were delayed, yet we are here 
before him. I bring with me, comrades, the brave 
Englishman, whom I mentioned to you as a desi- 
rable associate in our daring purpose. ” 

“ He is welcome, most welcome to us, ” said a 
young man, whose richly embroidered dress of 
azure blue gave him an air of authority ; “ most 
welcome is he, if he brings with him a heart and 
a hand to serve our noble task. ” 

“ Eor both I will be responsible, ” said Rudolph. 
“ Pass the wine-cup, then, to the success of our 
glorious enterprise, and the health of this our 
new associate ! ” 

While they were replenishing the cups with 
wine of a quality far superior to any which 
Arthur had yet tasted in these regions, he thought 
it right, before engaging himself in the pledge, 
to learn the secret object of the association which 
seemed desirous of adopting him. 

“ Before I engage my poor services to you, fair 
sirs, since it pleases you to desire them, permit 
me, ” he said, “ to ask the purpose and character 
of the undertaking in which they are to be 
employed. ” 

“ Shouldst thou have brought him hither, ” said 
the cavalier in blue to Eudolph, “ without satis- 
fying him and thyself on that point ? ” 

“ Care not thou about it, Lawrenz, ” replied the 
Bernese, “ I know my man. — Be it known, then, 
to you, my good friend,” he continued, addressing 
the Englishman, “ that my comrades and I are 
determined at once to declare the freedom of the 
Swiss commerce, and to resist to the death, if it 
be necessary, all unlawful and extortionate de- 
mands on the part of our neighbours. ” 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


171 

“ I understand so much, ” said the young Eng- 
lishman, “ and that the present deputation pro- 
ceeds to the Duke of Burgundy with remonstrances 
to that effect. ” 

“ Hear me, ” replied Rudolph. “ The question 
is like to be brought to a bloody determination 
long ere we see the Duke of Burgundy’s most 
august and most gracious countenance. That his 
influence should be used to exclude us from Bale, 
a neutral town, and pertaining to the empire, 
gives us cause to expect the worst reception when 
we enter his own dominions. We have even reason 
to think that we might have suffered from his 
hatred already, but for the vigilance of the ward 
which we have kept. Horsemen, from the direc- 
tion of La Ferette, have this night reconnoitred 
our posts ; and had they not found us prepared, 
we had, without question, been attacked in our 
quarters. But since we have escaped to-night, we 
must take care for to-morrow. For this purpose, 
a number of the bravest youth of the city of 
Bale, incensed at the pusillanimity of their magis- 
trates, are determined to join us, in order to wipe 
away the disgrace which the cowardly inhospitality 
of their magistracy has brought on their native 
place. ” 

“ That we will do ere the sun, that will rise two 
hours hence, shall sink into the western sky,” 
said the cavalier in blue; and those around joined 
him in stern assent. 

“ Gentle sirs, ” replied Arthur, when there was 
a pause, “ let me remind you, that the embassy 
which you attend is a peaceful one, and that those 
who act as its escort ought to avoid anything 
which can augment the differences which it comes 


172 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


to reconcile. You cannot expect to receive offence 
in the Duke’s dominions, the privileges of envoys 
being respected in all civilised countries ; and you 
will, I am sure, desire to offer none. ” 

“ We may be subjected to insult, however, ” 
replied the Bernese, “ and that through your con- 
cerns, Arthur Philipson, and those of thy father. ” 
“ I understand you not, ” replied Philipson. 

“ Your father, ” answered Donnerhugel, “ is a 
merchant, and bears with him wares of small bulk 
but high value ? ” 

“ He does so, ” answered Arthur ; “ and what of 
that ? ” 

“ Marry, ” answered Rudolph, “ that if it be not 
better looked to, the Bandog of Burgundy is like 
to fall heir to a large proportion of your silks, 
satins, and jewellery work. ” 

“ Silks, satins, and jewels ! ” exclaimed another 
of the revellers ; “ such wares will not pass toll-free 
where Archibald of Hagenbach hath authority. ” 
“Fair sirs,” resumed Arthur, after a moment’s 
consideration, “ these wares are my father’s pro- 
perty, not mine ; and it is for him, not me, to pro- 
nounce how much of them he might be content to 
part with in the way of toll, rather than give 
occasion to a fray in which his companions, who 
have received him into their society, must be 
exposed to injury as well as himself. I can only 
say, that he has weighty affairs at the court of 
Burgundy, which must render him desirous of 
reaching it in peace with all men ; and it is my 
private belief that, rather than incur the loss and 
danger of a broil with the garrison of La Ferette, 
he would be contented to sacrifice all the property 
which he has at present with him. Therefore, I 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


i73 


must request of you, gentlemen, a space to consult 
his pleasure on this occasion ; assuring you, that if 
it be his will to resist the payment of these duties 
to Burgundy, you shall find in me one who is fully 
determined to fight to the last drop of his blood. ” 

“ Good King Arthur, " said Rudolph ; “ thou art 
a dutiful observer of the Fifth Commandment, 
and thy days shall be long in the land. Do not 
suppose us neglectful of the same duty, although, 
for the present, we conceive ourselves bound, in 
the first place, to attend to the weal of our coun- 
try, the common parent of our fathers and our- 
selves. But as you know our profound respect for 
the Landamman, you need not fear that we shall 
willingly offer him offence, by rashly engaging in 
hostilities, or without some weighty reason; and 
an attempt to plunder his guest would have been 
met, on his part, with resistance to the death. I 
had hoped to find both you and your father prompt 
enough to resent such a gross injury. Neverthe- 
less, if your father inclines to present his fleece to 
be shorn by Archibald of Hagenbach, whose scis- 
sors, he will find, clip pretty closely, it would 
be unnecessary and uncivil in us to interpose. 
Meantime, you have the advantage of knowing, 
that in case the Governor of La Ferette should be 
disposed to strip you of skin as well as fleece, 
there are more men close at hand than you looked 
for, whom you will find both able and willing to 
render you prompt assistance. ” 

“ On these terms, ” said the Englishman, “ I 
make my acknowledgments to these gentlemen of 
Bale, or whatever other country hath sent them 
forth, and pledge them in a brotherly cup to our 
further and more intimate acquaintance. ” 


174 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


“ Health and prosperity to the United Cantons, 
and their friends ! ” answered the Blue Cavalier. 
“ And death and confusion to all besides. ” 

The cups were replenished; and instead of a 
shout of applause, the young men around testified 
their devoted determination to the cause which was 
thus announced, by grasping each other’s hands, 
and then brandishing their weapons with a fierce 
yet noiseless gesture. 

“ Thus, ” said Rudolph Donnerhugel, “ our illus- 
trious ancestors, the fathers of Swiss independence, 
met in the immortal field of Rutli, between Uri 
and Unterwalden. Thus they swore to each other, 
under the blue firmament of heaven, that they 
would restore the liberty of their oppressed coun- 
try ; and history can tell how well they kept their 
word. ” 

“ And she shall record, ” said the Blue Cavalier, 
“ how well the present Switzers can preserve ,the 
freedom which their fathers won. — Proceed in 
your rounds, good Rudolph, and be assured that at 
the signal of the Hauptman the soldiers will not 
be far absent ; — all is arranged as formerly, unless 
you have new orders to give us. ” 

“ Hark thee hither, Lawrenz, ” said Rudolph to 
the Blue Cavalier, — and Arthur could hear him 
say, — “ Beware, my friend, that the Rhine wine 
be not abused ; — if there is too much provision of 
it, manage to destroy the flasks ; — a mule may 
stumble, thou knowest, or so. Give not way to 
Rudiger in this. He is grown a wine-bibber since 
he joined us. We must bring both heart and hand 
to what may be done to-morrow. ” — They then 
whispered so low, that Arthur could hear nothing 
of their further conference, and bid each other 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


175 


adieu, after clasping hands, as if they were renewing 
some solemn pledge of union. 

Eudolph and his party then moved forward, and 
were scarce out of sight of their new associates, 
when the vidette, or foremost of their patrol, gave 
the signal of alarm. Arthur’s heart leaped to 
his lips — “ It is Anne of Geierstein ! ” he said 
internally. 

“ The dogs are silent, ” said the Bernese. “ Those 
who approach must he the companions of our 
watch. ” 

They proved, accordingly, to he Eudiger and his 
party, who, halting on the appearance of their 
comrades, made and underwent a formal challenge ; 
such advance had the Swiss already made in mili- 
tary discipline, which was but little and rudely 
studied by the infantry in other parts of Europe. 
Arthur could hear Eudolph take his friend Eudiger 
to task for not meeting him at the halting-place 
appointed. “ It leads to new revelry on your 
arrival, ” he said, “ and to-morrow must find us 
cool and determined.” 

“ Cool as an icicle, noble Hauptman, ” answered 
the son of the Landamman, “ and determined as 
the rock it hangs upon. ” 

Eudolph again recommended temperance, and 
the young Biederman promised compliance. The 
two parties passed each other with friendly though 
silent greeting ; and there was soon a considerable 
distance between them. 

The country was more open on the side of the 
castle, around which their duty now led them, 
than where it lay opposite to the principal gate. 
The glades were broad, the trees thinly scattered 
over pasture land, and there were no thickets, 


176 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


ravines, or similar places of ambush, so that the 
eye might, in the clear moonlight, well command 
the country. 

f Here, ” said Eudolph, “ we may judge ourselves 
secure enough for some conference; and therefore 
may I ask thee, Arthur of England, now thou hast 
seen us more closely, what thinkest thou of the 
Switzer youth ? If thou hast learned less than I 
could have wished, thank thine own uncommuni- 
cative temper, which retired in some degree from 
our confidence.” 

“ Only in so far as I could not have answered, 
and therefore ought not to have received it,” said 
Arthur. “ The judgment I have been enabled to 
form amounts, in few words, to this : Your pur- 
poses are lofty and noble as your mountains ; but 
the stranger from the low country is not ac- 
customed to tread the circuitous path by which 
you ascend them. My foot has been always ac- 
customed to move straight forward upon the 
greensward. ” 

“ You speak in riddles, ” answered the Bernese. 

“ Not so,” returned the Englishman. “ I think 
you ought plainly to mention to your seniors (the 
nominal leaders of young men who seem well dis- 
posed to take their own road) that you expect an 
attack in the neighbourhood of La Eerette, and 
hope for assistance from some of the townsmen of 
Bale. ” 

“ Ay, truly, ” answered Donnerhugel ; “ and the 
Landamman would stop his journey till he de- 
spatched a messenger for a safe-conduct to the Duke 
of Burgundy ; and should he grant it, there were 
an end of all hope of war. ” 

“ True,” replied Arthur; “but the Landamman 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


1 77 


would thereby obtain his own principal object, 
and the sole purpose of the mission — that is, the 
establishment of peace.” 

“ Peace — peace ? ” answered the Bernese, hastily. 
“ Were my wishes alone to be opposed to those 
of Arnold Biederman, I know so much of his 
honour and faith, I respect so highly his valour 
and patriotism, that at his voice I would sheathe 
my sword, even if my most mortal enemy stood 
before me. But mine is not the single wish of a 
single man ; the whole of my canton, and that of 
Soleure, are determined on war. It was by war, 
noble war, that our fathers came forth from the 
house of their captivity — it was by war, success- 
ful and glorious war, that a race, who had been 
held scarce so much worth thinking on as the oxen 
which they goaded, emerged at once into liberty 
and consequence, and were honoured because they 
were feared, as much as they had been formerly 
despised because they were unresisting. ” 

“ This may be all very true, ” said the young 
Englishman ; “ but, in my opinion, the object of 
your mission has been determined by your Diet 
or House of Commons. They have resolved to 
send you with others as messengers of peace ; but 
you are secretly blowing the coals of war; and 
while all, or most of your senior colleagues are 
setting out to-morrow in expectation of a peaceful 
journey, you stand prepared for a combat, and look 
for the means of giving cause for it. ” 

“ And is it not well that I do stand so pre- 
pared ? ” answered Rudolph. “ If our reception in 
Burgundy’s dependencies be peaceful, as you say 
the rest of the deputation expect, my precautions 
will be needless ; but at least they can do no harm. 

VOL. I. — 12 


78 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


If it prove otherwise, I shall be the means of 
averting a great misfortune from my colleagues, my 
kinsman Arnold Biederman, my fair cousin Anne, 
your father, yourself — from all of us, in short, 
who are joyously travelling together. ” 

Arthur shook his head. “ There is something 
in all this, ” he said, “ which I understand not, 
and will not seek to understand. I only pray 
that you will not make my father’s concerns the 
subject of breaking truce ; it may, as you hint, 
involve the Landamman in a quarrel, which he 
might otherwise have avoided. I am sure my father 
will never forgive it. ” 

“I have pledged my word,” said Rudolph, 
“ already to that effect. But if he should like the 
usage of the Bandog of Burgundy less than you 
seem to apprehend he will, there is no harm in 
your knowing that, in time of need, he may be 
well and actively supported. ” 

“ I am greatly obliged by the assurance, ” replied 
the Englishman. 

“ And thou mayst thyself, my friend, ” continued 
Rudolph, * take a warning from what thou hast 
heard : Men go not to a bridal in armour, nor to 
a brawl in silken doublet. ” 

“ I will be clad to meet the worst, * said Arthur ; 
“ and for that purpose I will don a light hauberk 
of well-tempered steel, proof against spear or arrow ; 
and I thank you for your kindly counsel. ” 

“ Nay, thank not me, ” said Rudolph ; “ I were 
ill deserving to be a leader did I not make those 
who are to follow me — more especially so trusty a 
follower as thou art — aware of the time when they 
should buckle on their armour, and prepare for 
hard blows. ” 


/ 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 179 

Here the conversation paused for a moment or 
two, neither of the speakers being entirely con- 
tented with his companion, although neither 
pressed any further remark. 

The Bernese, judging from the feelings which 
he had seen predominate among the traders of his 
own country, had entertained little doubt that the 
Englishman, finding himself powerfully supported 
in point of force, would have caught at the oppor- 
tunity to resist paying the exorbitant imposts with 
which he was threatened at the next town, which 
would probably, without any effort on Rudolph’s 
part, have led to breaking off the truce on the part 
of Arnold Biederman himself, and to an instant 
declaration of hostilities. On the other hand, 
young Philipson could not understand or approve of 
Donnerhugel’s conduct, who, himself a member of 
a peaceful deputation, seemed to be animated with 
the purpose of seizing an opportunity to kindle the 
flames of war. 

Occupied by these various reflections, they 
walked side by side for some time without speak- 
ing together, until Rudolph broke silence. 

“ Your curiosity is then ended, Sir English- 
man, ” said he, “ respecting the apparition of Anne 
of Geierstein ? ” 

“ Far from it, ” replied Philipson ; “ but I would 
unwillingly intrude any questions on you while 
you are busy with the duties of your patrol. ” 

“ That may be considered as over, * said the 
Bernese, “ for there is not a bush near us to cover 
a Burgundian knave, and a glance around us from 
time to time is all that is now needful to prevent 
surprise. And so, listen while I tell a tale, never 
sung or harped in hall or bower, and which, I 


180 ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 

begin to think, deserves as much credit, at least, 
as is due to the Tales of the Round Table, which 
ancient troubadours and minne-singers dole out to 
us as the authentic chronicles of your renowned 
namesake. 

“ Of Anne’s ancestors on the male side of the 
house, ” continued Rudolph, “ I dare say you have 
heard enough, -and are well aware how they dwelt 
in the old walls at Geierstein beside the cascade, 
grinding their vassals, devouring the substance of 
their less powerful neighbours, and plundering the 
goods of the travellers whom ill luck sent within 
ken of the vulture’s eyry, the one year; and in 
the next, wearying the shrines for mercy for their 
trespasses, overwhelming the priests with the 
wealth which they showered upon them, and, 
finally, vowing vows, and making pilgrimages, 
sometimes as palmers, sometimes as crusaders as 
far as Jerusalem itself, to atone for the iniquities 
which they had committed without hesitation or 
struggle of conscience. ” 

“ Such, I have understood, ” replied the young 
Englishman, “ was the history of the house of 
Geierstein, till Arnold, or his immediate ances- 
tors, exchanged the lance for the sheep-hook. ” 

“ But it is said, ” replied the Bernese, “ that 
the powerful and wealthy Barons of Arnheim, of 
Swabia, whose only female descendant became the 
wife to Count Albert of Geierstein, and the mother 
of this young person, whom Swiss call simply 
Anne, and Germans Countess Anne of Geierstein, 
were nobles of a different caste. They did not 
restrict their lives within the limits of sinning 
and repenting — of plundering harmless peasants, 
and pampering fat monks ; but were distinguished 


ANNE OE GEIEKSTEIN. 


181 


for something more than building castles with 
dungeons and folter-kammers, or torture-chambers, 
and founding monasteries with Galilees and 
Refectories. 

“ These same Barons of Arnheim were men who 
strove to enlarge the boundaries of human know- 
ledge, and converted their castle into a species of 
college, where there were more ancient volumes 
than the monks have piled together in the library 
of St. Gall. Nor were their studies in books 
alone. Deep buried in their private laboratories, 
they attained secrets which were afterwards trans- 
mitted through the race from father to son, and 
were supposed to have approached nearly to the 
deepest recesses of alchemy. The report of their 
wisdom and their wealth was often brought to the 
Imperial footstool; and in the frequent disputes 
which the Emperors maintained with the Popes of 
old, it is said they were encouraged, if not insti- 
gated, by the counsels of the Barons of Arnheim, 
and supported by their treasures. It was, per- 
haps, such a course of politics, joined to the 
unusual and mysterious studies which the family 
of Arnheim so long pursued, which excited against 
them the generally received opinion, that they 
were assisted in their superhuman researches by 
supernatural influences. The priests were active 
in forwarding this cry against men who, perhaps, 
had no other fault than that of being wiser than 
themselves. 

“ ‘Look what guests,’ they said, ‘are received in 
the halls of Arnheim! Let a Christian knight, 
crippled in war with the Saracens, present himself 
on the drawbridge, he is guerdoned with a crust 
and a cup of wine, and required to pass on his 


182 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


way. If a palmer, redolent of the sanctity ac- 
quired by his recent visits to the most holy 
shrines, and by the sacred relics which attest and 
reward his toil, approach the unhallowed walls, 
the warder bends his crossbow, and the porter 
shuts the gate, as if the wandering saint brought 
the plague with him from Palestine. But comes 
there a greybearded, glib-tongued Greek, with his 
parchment scrolls, the very letters of which are 
painful to Christian eyes — comes there a Jewish 
Rabbin, with his Talmud and Cabala — comes 
there a swarthy sun-burnt Moor, who can boast of 
having read the language of the Stars in Chaldea, 
the cradle of astrological science — Lo, the wan- 
dering impostor or sorcerer occupies the highest 
seat at the Baron of Arnheim’s board, shares with 
him the labours of the alembic and the furnace, 
learns from him mystic knowledge, like that of 
which our first parents participated to the over- 
throw of their race, and requites it with lessons 
more dreadful than he receives, till the profane 
host has added to his hoard of unholy wisdom all 
that the pagan visitor can communicate. And 
these things are done in Almain, which is called 
the Holy Roman Empire, of which so many priests 
are princes ! — they are done, and neither ban nor 
monition is issued against a race of sorcerers, 
who, from age to age, go on triumphing in their 
necromancy ! ’ 

“ Such arguments, which were echoed from 
mitred Abbots to the cell of Anchorites, seem, 
nevertheless, to have made little impression on 
the Imperial council. But they served to excite 
the zeal of many a Baron and Free Count of the 
Empire, who were taught by them to esteem a war 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


183 


or feud with the Barons of Arnheim as partaking 
of the nature, and entitled to the immunities, of a 
crusade against the enemies of the Faith, and to 
regard an attack upon these obnoxious potentates 
as a mode of clearing off their deep scores with the 
Christian Church. But the Lords of Arnheim, 
though not seeking for quarrel, were by no means 
unwarlike, or averse to maintaining their own 
defence. Some, on the contrary, belonging to this 
obnoxious race, were not the less distinguished 
as gallant knights and good men-at-arms. They 
were, besides, wealthy, secured and strengthened 
by great alliances, and in an eminent degree wise 
and provident. This the parties who assailed them 
learned to their cost. 

“ The confederacies formed against the Lords of 
Arnheim were broken up ; the attacks which their 
enemies meditated were anticipated and discon- 
certed; and those who employed actual violence 
were repelled with signal loss to the assailants : 
until at length an impression was produced in 
their neighbourhood, that by their accurate in- 
formation concerning meditated violence, and their 
extraordinary powers of resisting and defeating 
it, the obnoxious Barons must have brought to 
their defence means which merely human force 
was incapable of overthrowing ; so that, becoming 
as much feared as hated, they were suffered for the 
last generation to remain unmolested. And this 
was the rather the case, that the numerous vassals 
of this great house were perfectly satisfied with 
their feudal superiors, abundantly ready to rise 
in their defence, and disposed to believe that, 
whether their lords were sorcerers or no, their own 
condition would not be mended by exchanging 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


184 

their government, either for the rule of the crusa- 
ders in this holy warfare, or that of the churchmen 
by whom it was instigated. The race of these 
barons ended in Herman von Arnheim, the mater- 
nal grandfather of Anne of Geierstein. He was 
buried with his helmet, sword, and shield, as is 
the German custom with the last male of a noble 
family. 

“ But he left an only daughter, Sybilla of 
Arnheim, to inherit a considerable portion of his 
estate ; and I never heard that the strong impu- 
tation of sorcery which attached to her house, 
prevented numerous applications, from persons of 
the highest distinction in the Empire, to her le- 
gal guardian, the Emperor, for the rich heiress’s 
hand in marriage. Albert of Geierstein, however, 
though an exile, obtained the preference. He was 
gallant and handsome, which recommended him 
to Sybilla ; and the Emperor, bent at the time on 
the vain idea of recovering his authority in the 
Swiss mountains, was desirous to show himself 
generous to Albert, whom he considered as a fugi- 
tive from his country for espousing the imperial 
cause. You may thus see, most noble King 
Arthur, that Anne of Geierstein, the only child of 
their marriage, descends from no ordinary stock; 
and that circumstances in which she may be con- 
cerned are not to be explained or judged of so 
easily, or upon the same grounds of reasoning, as 
in the case of ordinary persons. ” 

“ By my honest word, Sir Rudolph of Donner- 
hugel, ” said Arthur, studiously labouring to keep 
a command upon his feelings, “ I can see nothing 
in your narrative, and understand nothing from it, 
unless it be that because in Germany, as in other 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


185 


countries, there have been fools who have annexed 
the idea of witchcraft and sorcery to the possession 
of knowledge and wisdom, you are therefore dis- 
posed to stigmatise a young maiden, who has 
always been respected and beloved by those around 
her, as a disciple of arts which, I trust, are as 
uncommon as unlawful. ” 

Rudolph paused ere he replied. 

“ I could have wished, ” he said, “ that you had 
been satisfied with the general character of Anne 
of Geierstein’s maternal family, as offering some 
circumstances which may account for what you 
have, according to your own report, this night 
witnessed, and I am really unwilling to go into 
more particular details. To no one can Anne of 
Geierstein’s fame be so dear as to me. I am, after 
her uncle’s family, her nearest relative, and had 
she remained in Switzerland, or should she, as is 
most probable, return thither after the present 
visit to her father, perhaps our connection might 
be drawn yet closer. This has, indeed, only been 
prevented ‘by certain prejudices of her uncle’s 
respecting her father’s authority, and the nearness 
of our relationship, which, however, comes within 
reach of a licence very frequently obtained. But 
I only mention these things, to show you how 
much more tender I must necessarily hold Anne 
of Geierstein’s reputation, than it is possible for 
you to do, being a stranger, known to her but a 
short while since, and soon to part with her, as I 
understand your purpose, for ever. ” 

The turn taken in this kind of apology irritated 
Arthur so highly, that it required all the reasons 
which recommended coolness to enable him to 
answer with assumed composure. 


186 ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 

“ I can have no ground, Sir Hauptman, ” he 
said, “ to challenge any opinion which you may 
entertain of a young person with whom you are so 
closely connected, as you appear to be with Anne 
of Geierstein. I only wonder that, with such 
regard for her as your relationship implies, you 
should be disposed to receive, on popular and 
trivial traditions, a belief which must injuriously 
affect your kinswoman, more especially one with 
whom you intimate a wish to form a still more 
close connection. Bethink you, sir, that in all 
Christian lands, the imputation of sorcery is the 
most foul which can be thrown on Christian man 
or woman. * 

“ And I am so far from intimating such an im- 
putation, ” said Rudolph, somewhat fiercely, “ that, 
by the good sword I wear, he that dared give breath 
to such a thought against Anne of Geierstein must 
undergo my challenge, and take my life, or lose 
his own. But the question is not whether the 
maiden herself practises sorcery, which he who 
avers had better get ready his tomb, and provide 
for his soul’s safety; the doubt lies here, whether, 
as the descendant of a family whose relations with 
the unseen world are reported to have been of the 
closest degree, elfish and fantastical beings may 
not have power to imitate her form, and to present 
her appearance where she is not personally present 
— in fine, whether they have permission to play 
at her expense fantastical tricks, which they can- 
not exercise over other mortals, whose forefathers 
have ever regulated their lives by the rules of the 
Church, and died in regular communion with it. 
And as I sincerely desire to retain your esteem, I 
have no objection to communicate to you more 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


187 


particular circumstances respecting her genealogy, 
confirming the idea I have now expressed. But 
you will understand they are of the most private 
nature, and that I expect secrecy under the strict- 
est personal penalty. ” 

“ I shall be silent, sir, ” replied the young Eng- 
lishman, still struggling with suppressed passion, 
“ on everything respecting the character of a maiden 
whom I am bound to respect so highly. But the 
fear of no man’s displeasure can add a feather’s 
weight to the guarantee of my own honour. ” 

“ Be it so, ” said Rudolph ; “ it is not my wish 
to awake angry feelings ; but I am desirous, both 
for the sake of your good opinion, which I value, 
and also for the plainer explanation of what I have 
darkly intimated, to communicate to you what 
otherwise I would much rather have left untold. ” 

“ You must be guided by your own sense of 
what is necessary and proper in the case, ” answered 
Philipson ; “ but remember I press not on your 
confidence for the communication of anything that 
ought to remain secret, far less where that young 
lady is the subject. ” 

Rudolph answered, after a minute’s pause, — 
“ Thou hast seen and heard too much, Arthur, not 
to learn the whole, or at least all that I know, or 
apprehend, on the mysterious subject. It is im- 
possible but the circumstances must at times recur 
to your recollection, and I am desirous that you 
should possess all the information necessary to 
understand them as clearly as the nature of the 
facts will permit. We have yet, keeping leftward 
to view the bog, upwards of a mile to make ere 
the circuit of the castle is accomplished. It will 
afford leisure enough for the tale I have to tell. ” 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


1 88 

“ Speak on — I listen ! ” answered the English- 
man, divided between his desire to know all that it 
was possible to learn concerning Anne of Geierstein, 
and his dislike to hear her name pronounced with 
such pretensions as those of Donnerhugel, together 
with the revival of his original prejudices against 
the gigantic Swiss, whose manners, always blunt, 
nearly to coarseness, seemed now marked by as- 
sumed superiority and presumption. Arthur lis- 
tened, however, to his wild tale, and the interest 
which he took in it soon overpowered all other 
sensations. 


CHAPTER XI. 


donnerhugel’s narrative. 

These be the adept’s doctrines — every element 
Is peopled with its separate race of spirits. 

The airy Sylphs on the blue ether float ; 

Deep in the earthy cavern skulks the Gnome ; 

The sea-green Naiad skims the ocean-billow, 

And the fierce fire is yet a friendly home 
To its peculiar sprite — the Salamander. 

Anonymous. 

I told you (said Rudolph) that the Lords of 
Arnheim, though from father to son they were 
notoriously addicted to secret studies, were, never- 
theless, like the other German nobles, followers of 
war and the chase. This was peculiarly the case 
with Anne’s maternal grandfather,, Herman of 
Arnheim, who prided himself on possessing a 
splendid stud of horses, and one steed in particu- 
lar, the noblest ever known in these circles of 
Germany. I should make wild work were I to 
attempt a description of such an animal, so I will 
content myself with saying his colour was jet 
black, without a hair. of white either on his face 
or feet. For this reason, and the wildness of his 
disposition, his master had termed him Apollyon; 
a circumstance which was secretly considered as 
tending to sanction the evil reports which touched 
the house of Arnheim, being, it was said, the 
naming of a favourite animal after a foul fiend. 


190 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


It chanced, one November day, that the Baron 
had been hunting in the forest, and did not reach 
home till nightfall. There were no guests with 
him, for, as I hinted to you before, the castle of 
Arnheim seldom received any other than those 
from whom its inhabitants hoped to gain augmen- 
tation of knowledge. The Baron was seated alone 
in his hall, illuminated with cressets and torches. 
His one hand held a volume covered with charac- 
ters unintelligible to all save himself. The other 
rested on the marble table, on which was placed a 
flask of Tokay wine. A page stood in respectful 
attendance near the bottom of the large and dim 
apartment, and no sound was heard save that of 
the night wind, when it sighed mournfully through 
the rusty coats of mail, and waved the tattered 
banners which were the tapestry of the feudal hall. 
At once the footstep of a person was heard ascend- 
ing the stairs in haste and trepidation ; the door of 
the hall was thrown violently open, and, terrified 
to a degree of ecstasy, Caspar, the head of the 
Baron’s stable, or his master of horse, stumbled up 
almost to the foot of the table at which his lord 
was seated, with the exclamation in his mouth, — 

“ My lord, my lord, a fiend is in the stable ! ” 

“ What means this folly ? ” said the Baron, aris- 
ing, surprised and displeased at an interruption so 
unusual. 

“ Let me endure your displeasure, ” said Caspar, 

“ if I speak not truth ! Apollyon ” 

Here he paused. 

“ Speak out, thou frightened fool, ” said the 
Baron ; “ is my horse sick, or injured ? ” 

The master of the stalls again gasped forth the 
word, “ Apollyon ! ” 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 191 

“ Say on, ” said the Baron ; “ were Apollyon in 
presence personally, it were nothing to shake a 
brave man’s mind.” 

“ The devil, ” answered the master of the horse, 
“ is in Apollyon ’s stall ! ” 

“Fool!” exclaimed the nobleman, snatching a 
torch from the wall ; “ what is it that could have 
turned thy brain in such silly fashion? Things 
like thee, that are born to serve us, should hold 
their brains on a firmer tenure, for our sakes, if 
not for that of their worthless selves. ” 

As he spoke, he descended to the court of the 
castle, to visit the stately range of stables which 
occupied all the lower part of the quadrangle on 
one side. He entered, where fifty gallant steeds 
stood in rows, on each side of the ample hall. At 
the side of each stall hung the weapons of offence 
and defence of a man-at-arms, as bright as con- 
stant attention could make them, together with 
the buff-coat which formed the trooper’s under gar- 
ment. The Baron, followed by one or two of the 
domestics, who had assembled full of astonish- 
ment at the unusual alarm, hastened up to the 
head of the stable, betwixt the rows of steeds. 
As he approached the stall of his favourite horse, 
which was the uppermost of the right-hand row, 
the gallant steed neither neighed, nor shook his 
head, nor stamped with his foot, nor gave the 
usual signs of joy at his lord’s approach; a faint 
moaning, as if he implored assistance, was the 
only acknowledgment he gave of the Baron’s 
presence. 

Sir Herman held up the torch, and discovered 
that there was indeed a tall dark figure standing 
in the stall, resting his hand on the horse’s 


192 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


shoulder. “ Who art thou,” said the Baron, “ and 
what dost thou here ? ” 

“ I seek refuge and hospitality, ” replied the 
stranger; “ and I conjure thee to grant it me, by 
the shoulder of thy horse, and by the edge of thy 
sword, and so as they may never fail thee when 
thy need is at the utmost ! ” 

“ Thou art, then, a brother of the Sacred Fire, ” 
said Baron Herman of Arnheim ; “ and I may not 
refuse thee the refuge which thou requirest of me, 
after the ritual of the Persian Magi. From whom, 
and for what length of time, dost thou crave my 
protection ? ” 

“ From those, ” replied the stranger, “ who shall 
arrive in quest of me before the morning cock 
shall crow, and for the full space of a year and a 
day from this period. ” 

“ I may not refuse thee, ” said the Baron, “ con- 
sistently with my oath and my honour. For a 
year and a day I will be thy pledge, and thou 
shalt share with me roof and chamber, wine and 
food. But thou too must obey the law of Zoroaster, 
which, as it says, Let the Stronger protect the 
weaker brother, says also, Let the Wiser instruct 
the brother who hath less knowledge. I am the 
stronger, and thou shalt be safe under my protec- 
tion ; but thou art the wiser, and must instruct me 
in the more secret mysteries. ” 

“ You mock your servant, ” said the strange visi- 
tor; “but if aught is known to Dannischemend 
which can avail Herman, his instructions shall be 
as those of a father to a son. ” 

“ Come forth, then, from thy place of refuge, ” 
said the Baron of Arnheim. “ I swear to thee by 
the sacred fire which lives without terrestrial fuel, 









. 























ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


193 


and by the fraternity which is betwixt us, and by 
the shoulder of my horse, and the edge of my good 
sword, I will be thy warrand for a year and a day, 
if so far my power shall extend. ” 

The stranger came forth accordingly ; and those 
who saw the singularity of his appearance, scarce 
wondered at the fears of Caspar, the stall-master, 
when he found such a person in the stable, by 
what mode of entrance he was unable to conceive. 
When he reached the lighted hall to which the 
Baron conducted him, as he would have done a 
welcome and honoured guest, the stranger appeared 
to be very tall, and of a dignified aspect. His 
dress was Asiatic, being a long black caftan, or 
gown, like that worn by Armenians, and a lofty 
square cap, covered with the wool of Astracan 
lambs. Every article of the dress was black, 
which gave relief to the long white beard, that 
flowed down over his bosom. His gown was fas- 
tened by a sash of black silk network, in which, 
instead of a poniard or sword, was stuck a silver 
case, containing writing-materials, and a roll of 
parchment. The only ornament of his apparel 
consisted in a large ruby of uncommon brilliancy, 
which, when he approached the light, seemed to 
glow with such liveliness as if the gem itself had 
emitted the rays which it only reflected back. 
To the offer of refreshment the stranger replied, 
“ Bread I may not eat, water shall not moisten my 
lips, until the avenger shall have passed by the 
threshold. ” 

The Baron commanded the lamps to be trimmed, 
and fresh torches to be lighted, and, sending his 
whole household to rest, remained seated in the 
hall along with the stranger, his suppliant. At 

VOL. II. — 13 


194 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


the dead hour of midnight, the gates of the castle 
were shaken as by a whirlwind, and a voice, as of 
a herald, was heard to demand a herald’s lawful 
prisoner, Dannischemend, the son of Hali. The 
warder then heard a lower window of the hall 
thrown open, and could distinguish his master’s 
voice addressing the person who had thus sum- 
moned the castle. But the night was so dark that 
he might not see the speakers, and the language 
which they used was either entirely foreign, or so 
largely interspersed with strange words, that he 
could not understand a syllable which they said. 
Scarce five minutes had elapsed, when he who was 
without again elevated his voice as before, and 
said in German, “For a year and a day, then, I 
forbear my forfeiture ; — but coming for it when 
that time shall elapse, I come for my right, and 
will no longer be withstood. ” 

From that period, Dannischemend, the Persian, 
was a constant guest at the castle of Arnheim, 
and, indeed, never for any visible purpose crossed 
the drawbridge. His amusements, or studies, 
seemed centred in the library of the castle, and in 
the laboratory, where the Baron sometimes toiled 
in conjunction with him for many hours together. 
The inhabitants of the castle could find no fault in 
the Magus, or Persian, excepting his apparently 
dispensing with the ordinances of religion, since 
he neither went to mass nor confession, nor 
attended upon other religious ceremonies. The 
chaplain did indeed profess himself satisfied with 
the state of the stranger’s conscience ; but it had 
been long suspected that the worthy ecclesiastic 
held his easy office on the very reasonable condi- 
tion of approving the principles, and asserting the 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


195 


orthodoxy, of all guests whom the Baron invited 
to share his hospitality. 

It was observed that Dannischemend was rigid 
in paying his devotions, by prostrating himself in 
the first rays of the rising sun, and that he con- 
structed a silver lamp of the most beautiful propor- 
tions, which he placed on a pedestal, representing 
a truncated column of marble, having its base 
sculptured with hieroglyphical imagery. With 
what essences he fed this flame was unknown to 
all, unless perhaps to the Baron; but the flame 
was more steady, pure, and lustrous than any 
which was ever seen, excepting the sun of heaven 
itself, and it was generally believed that the 
Magian made it an object of worship in the ab- 
sence of that blessed luminary. Nothing else was 
observed of him, unless that his morals seemed 
severe, his gravity extreme, his general mode of 
life very temperate, and his fasts and vigils of fre- 
quent recurrence. Except on particular occasions, 
he spoke to no one of the castle but the Baron; 
but, as he had money and was liberal, he was 
regarded by the domestics with awe indeed, but 
without fear or dislike. 

Winter was succeeded by spring, summer brought 
her flowers, and autumn her fruits, which ripened 
and were fading, when a foot-page, who sometimes 
attended them in the laboratory to render manual 
assistance when required, heard the Persian say 
to the Baron of Arnheim, “ You will do well, my 
son, to mark my words ; for my lessons to you are 
drawing to an end, and there is no power on earth 
which can longer postpone my fate. ” 

“ Alas, my master ! * said the Baron, “ and must 
I then lose the benefit of your direction, just 


9 6 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


when your guiding hand becomes necessary to 
place me on the very pinnacle of the temple of 
wisdom ? ” 

“Be not discouraged, my son,” answered the 
sage ; “ I will bequeath the task of perfecting you 
in your studies to my daughter, who will come 
hither on purpose. But remember, if you value 
the permanence of your family, look not upon her 
as aught else than a helpmate in your studies ; for 
if you forget the instructress in the beauty of the 
maiden, you will be buried with your sword and 
your shield, as the last male of your house; and 
further evil, believe me, will arise ; for such alli- 
ances never come to a happy issue, of which my 
own is an example. — But hush, we are observed. ” 

The household of the castle of Arnheim having 
but few things to interest them, were the more 
eager observers of those which came under their 
notice ; and when the termination of the period 
when the Persian was to receive shelter in the 
castle began to approach, some of the inmates, 
under various pretexts, but which resolved into 
very terror, absconded, while others held them- 
selves in expectation of some striking and terrible 
catastrophe. None such, however, took place ; 
and on the expected anniversary, long ere the 
witching hour of midnight, Dannischemend termi- 
nated his visit in the castle of Arnheim, by riding 
away from the gate in the guise of an ordinary 
traveller. The Baron had meantime taken leave 
of his tutor with many marks of regret, and some 
which amounted even to sorrow. The sage Per- 
sian comforted him by a long whisper, of which 
the last part only was heard — “ By the first beam 
of sunshine she will be with you. Be kind to 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


197 


her, but not over kind.” He then departed, and 
was never again seen or heard of in the vicinity of 
Arnheim. 

The Baron was observed during all the day after 
the departure of the stranger to be particularly 
melancholy. He remained, contrary to his cus- 
tom, in the great hall, and neither visited the 
library nor the laboratory, where he could no 
longer enjoy the company of his departed in- 
structor. At dawn of the ensuing morning, Sir 
Herman summoned his page, and, contrary to his 
habits, which used to be rather careless in respect 
of apparel, he dressed himself with great accuracy ; 
and as he was in the prime of life, and of a noble 
figure, he had reason to be satisfied with his ap- 
pearance. Having performed his toilet, he waited 
till the sun had just appeared above the horizon, 
and, taking from the table the key of the labora- 
tory, which the page believed must have lain there 
all night, he walked thither, followed by his 
attendant. At the door the Baron made a pause, 
and seemed at one time to doubt whether he 
should not send away the page, at another to hesi- 
tate whether he should open the door, as one might 
do who expected some strange sight within. He 
pulled up resolution, however, turned the key, 
threw the door open, and entered. The page fol- 
lowed close behind his master, and was astonished 
to the point of extreme terror at what he beheld, 
although the sight, however extraordinary, had in 
it nothing save what was agreeable and lovely. 

The silver lamp was extinguished, or removed 
from its pedestal, where stood in place of it a most 
beautiful female figure in the Persian costume, in 
which the colour of pink predominated. But she 


1 98 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


wore no turban or headdress of any kind, saving a 
blue riband drawn through her auburn hair, and 
secured by a gold clasp, the outer side of which 
was ornamented by a superb opal, which, amid the 
changing lights peculiar to that gem, displayed 
internally a slight tinge of red like a spark of 
fire. 

The figure of this young person was rather under 
the middle size, but perfectly well formed; the 
Eastern dress, with the wide trousers gathered 
round the ankles, made visible the smallest and 
most beautiful feet which had ever been seen, 
while hands and arms of the most perfect symme- 
try were partly seen from under the folds of the 
robe. The little lady’s countenance was of a 
lively and expressive character, in which spirit 
and wit seemed to predominate ; and the quick 
dark eye, with its beautifully formed eyebrow, 
seemed to presage the arch remark to which the 
rosy and half-smiling lip appeared ready to give 
utterance. 

The pedestal on which she stood, or rather was 
perched, would have appeared unsafe had any 
figure heavier than her own been placed there. 
But, however she had been transported thither, 
she seemed to rest on it as lightly and safely as a 
linnet, when it has dropped from the sky on the 
tendril of a rose-bud. The first beam of. the rising 
sun, falling through a window directly opposite 
to the pedestal, increased the effect of this beauti- 
ful figure, which remained as motionless as if it 
had been carved in marble. She only expressed 
her sense of the Baron of Arnheim’s presence by 
something of a quicker respiration, and a deep 
blush, accompanied by a slight smile. 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


199 


Whatever reason the Baron of Arnheim might 
have for expecting to see some such object as now 
exhibited its actual presence, the degree of beauty 
which it presented was so much beyond his expec- 
tation, that for an instant he stood without breath 
or motion. At once, however, he seemed to recol- 
lect that it was his duty to welcome the fair 
stranger to his castle, and to relieve her from her 
precarious situation. He stepped forward accord- 
ingly with the words of welcome on his tongue, 
and was extending his arms to lift her from the 
pedestal, which was nearly six feet high ; but the 
light and active stranger merely accepted the sup- 
port of his hand, and descended on the floor as 
light and as safe as if she had been formed of 
gossamer. It was, indeed, only by the momen- 
tary pressure of her little hand that the Baron of 
Arnheim was finally made sensible that he had to 
do with a being of flesh and blood. 

“ I am come as I have been commanded, ” she 
said, looking around her. “ You must expect a 
strict and diligent mistress, and I hope for the 
credit of an attentive pupil. ” 

After the arrival of this singular and interesting 
being in the castle of Arnheim, various alterations 
took place within the interior of the household. 
A lady of high rank and small fortune, the 
respectable widow of a Count of the Empire, who 
was the Baron’s blood relation, received and ac- 
cepted an invitation to preside over her kinsman’s 
domestic affairs, and remove, by her countenance, 
any suspicions which might arise from the pre- 
sence of Hermione, as the beautiful Persian was 
generally called. 

The Countess Waldstetten carried her complai- 


200 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


sance so far as to be present on almost all occa- 
sions, whether in the laboratory or library, when 
the Baron of Arnheim received lessons from, or 
pursued studies with, the young and lovely tutor 
who had been thus strangely substituted for the 
aged Magus. If this lady’s report was to be 
trusted, their pursuits were of a most extraordi- 
nary nature, and the results which she sometimes 
witnessed were such as to create fear as well as 
surprise. But she strongly vindicated them from 
practising unlawful arts, or overstepping the boun- 
daries of natural science. 

A better judge of such matters, the Bishop of 
Bamberg himself, made a visit to Arnheim, on 
purpose to witness the wisdom of which so much 
was reported through the whole Rhine-country. 
He conversed with Hermione, and found her 
deeply impressed with the truths of religion, and 
so perfectly acquainted with its doctrines, that he 
compared her to a doctor of theology in the dress 
of an Eastern dancing-girl. When asked regard- 
ing her knowledge of languages and science, he 
answered, that he had been attracted to Arnheim 
by the most extravagant reports on these points, 
but that he must return confessing “ the half 
thereof had not been told unto him. ” 

In consequence of this indisputable testimony, 
the sinister reports which had been occasioned by 
the singular appearance of the fair stranger were 
in a great measure lulled to sleep, especially as 
her amiable manners won the involuntary good- 
will of every one that approached her. 

Meantime a marked alteration began to take 
place in the interviews between the lovely tutor 
and her pupil. These were conducted with the 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


201 


same caution as before, and never, so far as could 
be observed, took place without the presence of the 
Countess of Waldstetten, or some other third person 
of respectability. But the scenes of these meetings 
were no longer the scholar’s library, or the che- 
mist’s laboratory ; — the gardens, the groves, were 
resorted to for amusement, and parties of hunting 
and fishing, with evenings spent in the dance, 
seemed to announce that the studies of wisdom 
were for a time abandoned for the pursuits of 
pleasure. It was not difficult to guess the mean- 
ing of this ; the Baron of Arnheim and his fair 
guest, speaking a language different from all 
others, could enjoy their private conversation, 
even amid all the tumult of gaiety around them ; 
and no one was surprised to hear it formally an- 
nounced, after a few weeks of gaiety, that the 
fair Persian was to be wedded to the Baron of 
Arnheim. 

The manners of this fascinating young person 
were so pleasing, her conversation so animated, 
her wit so keen, yet so well tempered with good 
nature and modesty, that, notwithstanding her 
unknown origin, her high fortune attracted less 
envy than might have been expected in a case so 
singular. Above all, her generosity amazed and 
won the hearts of all the young persons who ap- 
proached her. Her wealth seemed to be measureless, 
for the many rich jewels which she distributed 
among her fair friends would otherwise have left 
her without ornaments for herself. These good 
qualities, her liberality above all, together with a 
simplicity of thought and character which formed 
a beautiful contrast to the depth of acquired know T - 
ledge which she was well known to possess — 


202 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


these, and her total want of ostentation, made her 
superiority be pardoned among her companions. 
Still there was notice taken of some peculiarities, 
exaggerated perhaps by envy, which seemed to 
draw a mystical distinction between the beautiful 
Hermione and the mere mortals with whom she 
lived and conversed. 

In the merry dance she was so unrivalled in 
lightness and agility that her performance seemed 
that of an aerial being. She could, without suf- 
fering from her exertion, continue the pleasure till 
she had tired out the most active revellers; and 
even the young Duke of Hochspringen, who was 
reckoned the most indefatigable at that exercise in 
Germany, having been her partner for half an 
hour, was compelled to break off the dance, and 
throw himself, totally exhausted, on a couch, 
exclaiming he had been dancing not with a woman, 
but with an ignis fatuus. 

Other whispers averred that while she played 
with her young companions in the labyrinth and 
mazes of the castle gardens at hide-and-seek, or 
similar games of activity, she became animated 
with the same supernatural alertness which was 
supposed to inspire her in the dance. She ap- 
peared amongst her companions, and vanished 
from them, with a degree of rapidity which was 
inconceivable; and hedges, treillage, or such like 
obstructions, were surmounted by her in a manner 
which the most vigilant eye could not detect ; for, 
after being observed on the side of the barrier at 
one instant, in another she was beheld close beside 
the spectator. 

In such moments, when her eyes sparkled, her 
cheeks reddened, and her whole frame became 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


203 


animated, it was pretended that the opal clasp 
amid her tresses, the ornament which she never 
laid aside, shot forth the little spark, or tongue of 
flame, which it always displayed, with an in- 
creased vivacity. In the same manner, if in the 
half-darkened hall the conversation of Hermione 
became unusually animated, it was believed that 
the jewel became brilliant, and even displayed a 
twinkling and flashing gleam which seemed to be 
emitted by the gem itself, and not produced in 
the usual manner, by the reflection of some exter- 
nal light. Her maidens were also heard to sur- 
mise that when their mistress was agitated by any 
hasty or brief resentment (the only weakness of 
temper which she was sometimes observed to dis- 
play), they could observe dark-red sparks flash 
from the mystic brooch, as if it sympathised with 
the wearer’s emotions. The women who attended 
on her toilet further reported that this gem was 
never removed but for a few minutes, when the 
Baroness’s hair was combed out; that she was 
unusually pensive and silent during the time it 
was laid aside, and particularly apprehensive 
when any liquid was brought near it. Even in 
the use of holy water at the door of the church she 
was observed to omit the sign of the cross on the 
forehead, for fear, it was supposed, of the water 
touching the valued jewel. 

These singular reports did not prevent the mar- 
riage of the Baron of Arnheim from proceeding as 
had been arranged. It was celebrated in the usual 
form, and with the utmost splendour, and the 
young couple seemed to commence a life of happi- 
ness rarely to be found on earth. In the course of 
twelve months, the lovely Baroness presented her 


204 


ANNE 0E GEIERSTEIN. 


husband with a daughter, which was to be chris- 
tened Sybilla, after the Count’s mother. As the 
health of the child was excellent, the ceremony 
was postponed till the recovery of the mother from 
her confinement. Many were invited to be present 
on the occasion, and the castle was thronged with 
company. 

It happened that amongst the guests was an old 
lady, notorious for playing in private society the 
part of a malicious fairy in a minstrel’s tale. 
This was the Baroness of Steinfeldt, famous in 
the neighbourhood for her insatiable curiosity and 
overweening pride. She had not been many days 
in the castle, ere, by the aid of a female attendant, 
who acted as an intelligencer, she had made her- 
self mistress of all that was heard, said, or sus- 
pected, concerning the peculiarities of the Baroness 
Hermione. It was on the morning of the day 
appointed for the christening, while the whole 
company were assembled in the hall, and waiting 
till the Baroness should appear, to pass with them 
to the chapel, that there arose between the censo- 
rious and haughty dame whom we have just 
mentioned, and the Countess Waldstetten, a vio- 
lent discussion concerning some point of disputed 
precedence. It was referred to the Baron von 
Arnheim, who decided in favour of the Countess. 
Madame de Steinfeldt instantly ordered her palfrey 
to be prepared, and her attendants to mount. 

“ I leave this place, ” she said, “ which a good 
Christian ought never to have entered ; I leave a 
house of which the master is a sorcerer, the mis- 
tress a demon who dares not cross her brow with 
holy water, and their trencher companion one 
who, for a wretched pittance, is willing to act as 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


205 

match-maker between a wizard and an incarnate 
fiend ! ” 

She then departed, with rage in her countenance 
and spite in her heart. 

The Baron of Arnheim then stepped forward, 
and demanded of the knights and gentlemen around 
if there were any among them who would dare 
to make good with his sword the infamous false- 
hoods thrown upon himself, his spouse, and his 
kinswoman. 

There was a general answer, utterly refusing to 
defend the Baroness of Steinfeldt’s words in so 
bad a cause, and universally testifying the belief 
of the company that she spoke in the spirit of 
calumny and falsehood. 

“ Then let that lie fall to the ground which no 
man of courage will hold up, ” said the Baron of 
. Arnheim ; “ only, all who are here this morning 
shall be satisfied whether the Baroness Hermione 
doth or doth not share the rites of Christianity. ” 

The Countess of Waldstetten made anxious signs 
to him while he spoke thus ; and when the crowd 
permitted her to approach near him, she was 
heard to whisper, “ Oh, be not rash ! try no experi- 
ment! there is something mysterious about that 
opal talisman; be prudent, and let the matter 
pass by. ” 

The Baron, who was in a more towering passion 
than well became the wisdom to which he made 
pretence — although it will be perhaps allowed 
that an affront so public, and in such a time and 
place, was enough to shake the prudence of the 
most staid, and the philosophy of the most wise — 
answered sternly and briefly, “ Are you, too, such 
a fool ? ” and retained his purpose. 


206 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


The Baroness of Arnheim at this moment entered 
the hall, looking just so pale from her late con- 
finement as to render her lovely countenance more 
interesting, if less animated, than usual. Having 
paid her compliments to the assembled company, 
with the most graceful and condescending atten- 
tion, she was beginning to inquire why Madame 
de Steinfeldt was not present, when her husband 
made the signal for the company to move forward 
to the chapel, and lent the Baroness his arm to 
bring up the rear. The chapel was nearly filled 
by the splendid company, and all eyes were bent 
on their host and hostess, as they entered the place 
of devotion immediately after four young ladies, 
who supported the infant babe in a light and 
beautiful litter. 

As they passed the threshold, the Baron dipped 
his finger in the font-stone, and offered holy water 
to his lady, who accepted it, as usual, by touching 
his finger with her own. But then, as if to con- 
fute the calumnies of the malevolent lady of 
Steinfeldt, with an air of sportive familiarity 
which was rather unwarranted by the time and 
place, he flirted on her beautiful forehead a drop 
or two of the moisture which remained on his own 
hand. The opal, on which one of these drops had 
lighted, shot out a brilliant spark like a falling 
star, and became the instant afterwards lightless 
and colourless as a common pebble, while the 
beautiful Baroness sank on the floor of the chapel 
with a deep sigh of pain. All crowded around her 
in dismay. The unfortunate Hermione was raised 
from the ground, and conveyed to her chamber; 
and so much did her countenance and pulse alter, 
within the short time necessary to do this, that 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


20 7 


those who looked upon her pronounced her a dying 
woman. She was no sooner in her own apartment 
than she requested to be left alone with her hus- 
band. He remained an hour in the room, and 
when he came out he locked and double locked 
the door behind him. He then betook himself to 
the chapel, and remained there for an hour or 
more, prostrated before the altar. 

In the meantime, most of the guests had dis- 
persed in dismay, though some abode out of cour- 
tesy or curiosity. There was a general sense of 
impropriety in suffering the door of the sick lady’s 
apartment to remain locked; but, alarmed at the 
whole circumstances of her illness, it was some 
time ere any one dared disturb the devotions of 
the Baron. 

At length medical aid arrived, and the Countess 
of Waldstetten took upon her to demand the key. 
She spoke more than once to a man, who seemed 
incapable of hearing, at least of understanding, 
what she said. At length he gave her the key, 
and added sternly, as he did so, that all aid was 
unavailing, and that it was his pleasure that all 
strangers should leave the castle. There were few 
who inclined to stay, when, upon opening the door 
of the chamber in which the Baroness had been 
deposited little more than two hours before, no 
traces of her could be discovered, unless that there 
was about a handful of light-grey ashes, like such 
as might have been produced by burning fine 
paper, found on the bed where she had been laid. 
A solemn funeral was nevertheless performed, with 
masses, and all other spiritual rites, for the soul 
of the high and noble Lady Hermione of Arnheim ; 
and it was exactly on that same day three years 


208 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


that the Baron himself was laid in the grave of 
the same chapel of Arnheim, with sword, shield, 
and helmet, as the last male of his family. 

Here the Swiss paused, for they were approach- 
ing the bridge of the castle of Graffs -lust. 


CHAPTER XII. 


Believe me, sir, 

It carries a rare form. — But ’tis a spirit. 

The Tempest. 

There was a short silence after the Bernese had 
concluded his singular tale. Arthur Philipson’s 
attention had been gradually and intensely at- 
tracted by a story which was too much in unison 
with the received ideas of the age to be encountered 
by the unhesitating incredulity with which it 
must have been heard in later and more enlight- 
ened times. 

He was also considerably struck by the manner 
in which it had been told by the narrator, whom 
he had hitherto only regarded in the light of a 
rude huntsman or soldier ; whereas he now allowed 
Donnerhugel credit for a more extensive acquaint- 
ance with the general manners of the world than 
he had previously anticipated. The Swiss rose in 
his opinion as a man of talent, but without making 
the slightest progress in his affections. “ The 
swashbuckler, ” he said to himself, “ has brains, as 
well as brawn and bones, and is fitter for the office 
of commanding others than I formerly thought 
him. ” Then, turning to his companion, he 
thanked him for the tale, which had shortened 
the way in so interesting a manner. 

“ And it is from this singular marriage, ” he 
continued, “ that Anne of Geierstein derives her 
origin ? ” 

VOL. i. — 14 


210 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


“ Her mother, ” answered the Swiss, “ was Sy- 
billa of Arnheim, the infant at whose christening 
the mother died — disappeared — or whatever you 
may list to call it. The barony of Arnheim, 
being a male fief, reverted to the Emperor. The 
castle has never been inhabited since the death of 
the last lord, and has, as I have heard, become in 
some sort ruinous. The occupations of its ancient 
proprietors, and, above all, the catastrophe of its 
last inhabitant, have been thought to render it no 
eligible place of residence. ” 

“ Did there appear anything preternatural, ” said 
the Englishman, “ about the young Baroness, who 
married the brother of the Landamman ? ” 

“ So far as I have heard, ” replied Rudolph, 

“ there were strange stories. It was said that the 
nurses, at the dead of night, have seen Hermione, 
the last Baroness of Arnheim, stand weeping by 
the side of the child’s cradle, and other things 
to the same purpose. But here I speak from less 
correct information than that from which I drew 
my former narrative. ” 

“ And since the credibility of a story, not very 
probable in itself, must needs be granted, or with- 
held, according to the evidence on which it is given, 
may I ask you, ” said Arthur, “ to tell me what is the 
authority on which you have so much reliance ? ” 

“ Willingly, ” answered the Swiss. “ Know that 
Theodore Donnerhugel, the favourite page of the 
last Baron of Arnheim, was my father’s brother. 
Upon his master’s death he retired to his native 
town of Berne, and most of his time was employed 
in training me up to arms and martial exercises, 
as well according to the fashion of Germany as of 
Switzerland, for he was master of all. He wit- 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


21 1 

nessed with his own eyes, and heard with his own 
ears, great part of the melancholy and mysterious 
events which I have detailed to you. Should you 
ever visit Berne, you may see the good old man. ” 
“You think, then,” said Arthur, “that the ap- 
pearance which I have this night seen is con- 
nected with the mysterious marriage of Anne of 
Geierstein’s grandfather ? ” 

“ Nay,” replied Rudolph, “ think not that I can 
lay down any positive explanation of a thing so 
strange. I can only say, that unless I did you the 
injustice to disbelieve your testimony respecting 
the apparition of this evening, I know no way to 
account for it, except by remembering that there 
is a portion of the young lady’s blood which is 
thought not to be derived from the race of Adam, 
but more or less directly from one of those elemen- 
tary spirits which have been talked of both in 
ancient and modern times. But I may be mis- 
taken. We will see how she bears herself in the 
morning, and whether she carries in her looks the 
weariness and paleness of a midnight watcher. If 
she doth not, we may be authorised in thinking, 
either that your eyes have strangely deceived you, 
or that they have been cheated by some spectral 
appearance, which is not of this world. ” 

To this the young Englishman attempted no 
reply. Nor was there time for any, for they were 
immediately afterwards challenged by the sentinel 
from the drawbridge. 

The question, “ Who goes there ? ” was twice 
satisfactorily answered, before Sigismund would 
admit the patrol to cross the drawbridge. 

“ Ass and mule that thou art, ” said Rudolph, 
“ what was the meaning of thy delay ? ” 


212 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


“ Ass and mule thyself, Hauptman ! ” said the 
Swiss, in answer to this objurgation. “ I have 
been surprised by a goblin on my post once to-night 
already, and I have got so much experience upon 
that matter that I will not easily be caught a 
second time. ” 

“ What goblin, thou fool, ” said Donnerhugel, 
“ would be idle enough to play his gambols at the 
expense of so very poor an animal as thou art ? ” 

“ Thou art as cross as my father, Hauptman, ” 
replied Sigismund, “ who cries fool and blockhead 
at every word I speak ; and yet I have lips, teeth, 
and tongue to speak with, just like other folk. ” 

“ We will not contest the matter, Sigismund, ” 
said Rudolph. “ It is clear, that if thou dost 
differ from other people, it is in a particular which 
thou canst hardly be expected to find out or ac- 
knowledge. But what, in the name of simplicity, 
is it which hath alarmed thee on thy post ? ” 

"Marry, thus it was, Hauptman,” returned Si- 
gismund Biederman. “ I was something tired, 
you see, with looking up at the broad moon, and 
thinking what in the universe it could be made 
of, and how we came to see it just as well here as 
at home, this place being so many miles from 
Geierstein. I was tired, I say, of this and other 
perplexing thoughts, so I drew my fur cap down 
over my ears, for I promise you the wind blew 
shrill ; and then I planted myself firm on my feet, 
with one of my legs a little advanced, and both 
my hands resting on my partisan, which I placed 
upright before me to rest upon; and so I shut 
mine eyes. ” 

“ Shut thine eyes, Sigismund, and thou upon 
thy watch ! ” exclaimed Donnerhugel. 


ANNE OF GEIE11STEIN. 


213 


“ Care not thou for that, ” answered Sigismund ; 
“ I kept my ears open. And yet it was to little 
purpose, for something came upon the bridge with 
a step as stealthy as that of a mouse. I looked up 
with a start at the moment it was opposite to me, 
and when I looked up — whom think you I saw ? ” 
“ Some fool like thyself, ” said Eudolph, at the 
same time pressing Philipson’s foot to make him 
attend to the answer; a hint which was little 
necessary, since he waited for it in the utmost 
agitation. Out it came at last. 

“ By St. Mark, it was our own Anne of Geierstein ! ” 
“ It is impossible ! " replied the Bernese. 

“ I should have said so too, ” quoth Sigismund, 
“ for I had peeped into her bedroom before she 
went thither, and it was so bedizened that a queen 
or a princess might have slept in it; and why 
should the wench get out of her good quarters, 
with all her friends about her to guard her, and go 
out to wander in the forest ? ” 

“ May be, ” said Eudolph, “ she only looked 
from the bridge to see how the night waned. ” 

“ No, ” said Sigismund ; “ she was returning from 
the forest. I saw her when she reached the end 
of the bridge, and thought of striking at her, con- 
ceiving it to be the devil in her likeness. But I 
remembered my halberd is no birch switch to chas- 
tise boys and girls with ; and had I done Anne 
any harm, you would all have been angry with 
me, and, to speak truth, I should have been ill 
pleased with myself ; for although she doth make 
a jest of me now and then, yet it were a dull house 
ours were we to lose Anne. ” 

“ Ass, ” answered the Bernese, “ didst thou speak 
to this form, or goblin as you call it ? ” 


214 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


“ Indeed I did not, Captain Wiseacre. My 
father is ever angry with me when I speak 
without thinking, and I could not at that par- 
ticular moment think on anything to the purpose. 
Neither was there time to think, for she passed me 
like a snow-flake upon a whirlwind. I marched 
into the castle after her, however, calling on her 
by name ; so the sleepers were awakened, and men 
flew to their arms, and there was as much confu- 
sion as if Archibald of Hagenbach had been among 
us with sword and pike. And who should come 
out of her little bedroom, as much startled and as 
much in a bustle as any of us, but Mrs. Anne 
herself ! And as she protested she had never 
left her room that night, why I, Sigismund 
Biederman, was made to stand the whole blame, 
as if I could prevent people’s ghosts from walking. 
But I told her my mind when I saw them all so 
set against me. ‘And, Mistress Anne,’ quoth I, 
‘it’s well known the kindred you come of; and, 
after this fair notice, if you send any of your 
double-gangers 1 (<g) to me, let them put iron skull- 
caps on their heads, for I will give them the 
length and weight of a Swiss halberd, come in 
what shape they list. ’ However, they all cried 
‘Shame on me!’ and my father drove me out 
again, with as little remorse as if I had been the 
old house-dog, which had stolen in from his watch 
to the fireside. ” 

The Bernese replied, with an air of coldness 
approaching to contempt, “ You have slept on your 
watch, Sigismund — a high military offence, and 

1 Double-walkers, a name in Germany for those aerial dupli- 
cates of humanity who represent the features and appearance of 
other living persons. 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


215 


you have dreamed while you slept. You were in 
good luck that the Landamman did not suspect 
your negligence, or, instead of being sent back to 
your duty like a lazy watch-dog, you might have 
been scourged back like a faithless one to your 
kennel at Geierstein, as chanced to poor Ernest 
for a less matter. ” 

“Ernest has not yet gone back, though,” said 
Sigismund, “ and I think he may pass as far into 
Burgundy as we shall do in this journey. I 
pray you, however, Hauptman, to treat me not 
dog-like, but as a man, and send some one to 
relieve me, instead of prating here in the cold 
night air. If there be anything to do to-morrow, 
as I well guess there may, a mouthful of food, 
and a minute of sleep, will be hut a fitting pre- 
parative, and I have stood watch here these two 
mortal hours. ” 

With that the young giant yawned portentously, 
as if to enforce the reasons of his appeal. 

“ A mouthful and a minute ? ” said Rudolph, — 
“ a roasted ox, and a lethargy like that of the 
Seven Sleepers, would scarce restore you to the use 
of your refreshed and waking senses. But I am 
your friend, Sigismund, and you are secure in my 
favourable report ; you shall be instantly relieved, 
that you may sleep, if it be possible, without dis- 
turbances from dreams. — Pass on, young men ” 
(addressing the others, who by this time had come 
up), “ and go to your rest. Arthur of England and 
I will report to the Landamman and the Banneret 
the account of our patrol. ” 

The patrol accordingly entered the castle, and 
were soon heard joining their slumbering com- 
panions. Rudolph Donnerhugel seized Arthur’s 


2l6 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


arm, and, while they went towards the hall, 
whispered in his ear, — 

“ These are strange passages ! — How think you 
we should report them to the deputation ? ” 

“ That I must refer to yourself, ” said Arthur ; 
“ you are the captain of our watch. I have done 
my duty in telling you what I saw — or thought I 
saw — it is for you to judge how far it is fitting to 
communicate it to the Landamman; only, as it 
concerns the honour of his family, to his ear alone 
I think it should be confided. ” 

“ I see no occasion for that, ” said the Bernese, 
hastily ; “ it cannot affect or interest our general 
safety. But I may take occasion hereafter to 
speak with Anne on this subject. ” 

This latter hint gave as much pain to Arthur as 
the general proposal of silence on an affair so deli- 
cate had afforded him satisfaction. But his un- 
easiness was of a kind which he felt it necessary 
to suppress, and he therefore replied with as much 
composure as he could assume : — 

“ You will act, Sir Hauptman, as your sense of 
duty and delicacy shall dictate. For me, I shall 
be silent on what you call the strange passages of 
the night, rendered doubly wonderful by the report 
of Sigismund Biederman. " 

“ And also on what you have seen and heard con- 
cerning our auxiliaries of Berne ? " said Kudolph. 

“ On that I shall certainly be silent, ” said 
Arthur ; “ unless thus far, that I mean to com- 
municate to my father the risk of his baggage being 
liable to examination and seizure at La Ferette. ” 

“ It is needless, ” said Rudolph ; “ I will answer 
with head and hand for the safety of everything 
belonging to him. ” 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


217 


“ I thank you in his name, ” said Arthur ; “ but 
we are peaceful travellers, to whom it must be 
much more desirable to avoid a broil than to give 
occasion for one, even when secure of coming out 
of it triumphantly. ” 

“ These are the sentiments of a merchant, but 
not of a soldier,” said Rudolph, in a cold and 
displeased tone ; “ but the matter is your own, 
and you must act in it as you think best. Only 
remember, if you go to La Ferette without our 
assistance, you hazard both goods and life. ” 

They entered, as he spoke, the apartment of 
their fellow-travellers. The companions of their 
patrol had already laid themselves down amongst 
their sleeping comrades at the lower end of the 
room. The Landamman and the Bannerman of 
Berne heard Donnerhugel make a report, that his 
patrol, both before and after midnight, had been 
made in safety, and without any encounter which 
expressed either danger or suspicion. The Bernese 
then wrapped him in his cloak, and, lying down 
on the straw, with that happy indifference to ac- 
commodation, and promptitude to seize the moment 
of repose, which is acquired by a life of vigilance 
and hardship, was in a few minutes fast asleep. 

Arthur remained on foot but a little longer, to 
dart an earnest look on the door of Anne of Geier- 
stein’s apartment, and to reflect on the wonderful 
occurrences of the evening. But they formed a 
chaotic mystery, for which he could see no clue, 
and the necessity of holding instant communica- 
tion with his father compelled him forcibly to turn 
his thoughts in that direction. He was obliged to 
observe caution and secrecy in accomplishing his 
purpose. For this he laid himself down beside his 


218 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


parent, whose conch, with the hospitality which 
he had experienced from the beginning of his in- 
tercourse with the kind-hearted Swiss, had been 
arranged in what was thought the most convenient 
place of the apartment, and somewhat apart from 
all others. He slept sound, but awoke at the touch 
of his son, who whispered to him in English, for 
the greater precaution, that he had important 
tidings for his private ear. 

“ An attack on our post ? ” said the elder Philip- 
son. “ Must we take to our weapons ? ” 

“Not now,” said Arthur; “and I pray of you 
not to rise or make alarm — this matter concerns 
us alone. ” 

“ Tell it instantly, my son, ” replied his father ; 
“ you speak to one too much used to danger to be 
startled at it. ” 

“ It is a case for your wisdom to consider, ” said 
Arthur. “ I had information, while upon the 
patrol, that the Governor of La Ferette will un- 
questionably seize upon your baggage and mer- 
chandise, under pretext of levying dues claimed by 
the Duke of Burgundy. I have also been informed 
that our escort of Swiss youth are determined to 
resist this exaction, and conceive themselves pos- 
sessed of the numbers and means sufficient to do 
so successfully. ” 

“ By St. George, that must not be ! ” said the 
elder Philipson. “ It would be an evil requital to 
the true-hearted Landamman, to give the fiery 
Duke a pretext for that war which the excellent 
old man is so anxiously desirous to avoid, if it be 
possible. Any exactions, however unreasonable, I 
will gladly pay. But to have my papers seized on 
were utter ruin. I partly feared this, and it made 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


219 


me unwilling to join myself to the Landamman ’s 
party. We must now break off from it. This 
rapacious governor will not surely lay hands on 
the deputation, which seeks his master’s court 
under protection of the law of nations ; but I can 
easily see how he might make our presence with 
them a pretext for quarrel, which will equally 
suit his own avaricious spirit and the humour of 
these fiery young men, who are seeking for matter 
of offence. This shall not be taken for our sake. 
We will separate ourselves from the deputies, and 
remain behind till they are passed on. If this De 
Hagenbach be not the most unreasonable of men, I 
will find a way to content him so far as we are 
individually concerned. Meanwhile, I will in- 
stantly wake the Landamman, ” he said, “ and 
acquaint him with our purpose. ” 

This was immediately done, for Philipson was 
not slow in the execution of his resolutions. In a 
minute he was standing by the side of Arnold 
Biederman, who, raised on his elbow, was listen- 
ing to his communication, while, over the shoulder 
of the Landamman, rose the head and long beard 
of the deputy from Schwitz, his large clear blue 
eyes gleaming from beneath a fur cap, bent on the 
Englishman’s face, but stealing a glance aside now 
and then to mark the impression which what was 
said made upon his colleague. 

" Good friend and host, ” said the elder Philip- 
son, “ we have heard for a certainty that our poor 
merchandise will be subjected to taxation or seizure 
on our passage through La Ferette, and I would 
gladly avoid all cause of quarrel, for your sake as 
well as our own. ” 

“ You do not doubt that we can and will protect 


220 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


you ? ” replied the Landamman. “ I tell you, 
Englishman, that the guest of a Swiss is as safe 
by his side as an eaglet under the wing of its dam ; 
and to leave us because danger approaches is but a 
poor compliment to our courage or constancy. I 
am desirous of peace ; but not the Duke of Bur- 
gundy himself should wrong a guest of mine, so 
far as my power might prevent it. ” 

At this the deputy from Schwitz clenched a fist 
like a bull’s knuckles, and showed it above the 
shoulders of his friend. 

“ It is even to avoid this, my worthy host, ” 
replied Philipson, “ that I intend to separate from 
your friendly company sooner than I desire or pur- 
posed. Bethink you, my brave and worthy host, 
you are an ambassador seeking a national peace, I 
a trader seeking private gain. War, or quarrels 
which may cause war, are alike ruinous to your 
purpose and mine. I confess to you frankly, that 
I am willing and able to pay a large ransom, and 
when you are departed I will negotiate for the 
amount. I will abide in the town of Bale till I 
have made fair terms with Archibald de Hagen- 
bach ; and even if he is the avaricious extortioner 
you describe him, he will be somewhat moderate 
with me rather than run the risk of losing his 
booty entirely, by my turning back or taking 
another route. ” 

“You speak wisely, Sir Englishman,” said the 
Landamman ; “ and I thank you for recalling my 
duty to my remembrance. But you must not, 
nevertheless, be exposed to danger. So soon as we 
move forward, the country will be again open to 
the devastations of the Burgundian Eiders and 
Lanz-knechts, who will sweep the roads in every 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


221 


direction. The people of Bale are unhappily too 
timorous to protect you ; they would yield you up 
upon the Governor’s first hint ; and for justice or 
lenity, you might as well expect it in hell as from 
Hagenbach. ” 

“ There are conjurations, it is said, that can 
make hell itself tremble, ” said Philipson ; “ and I 
have means to propitiate even this De Hagenbach, 
providing I can get to private speech with him. 
But I own I can expect nothing from his wild 
riders, but to be put to death for the value of my 
cloak. ” 

“ If that be the case, ” said the Landamman, 
“ and if you must needs separate from us, for 
which I deny not that you have alleged wise and 
worthy reasons, wherefore should you not leave 
Graffs-lust two hours before us ? The roads will 
be safe, as our escort is expected; and you will 
probably, if you travel early, find De Hagenbach 
sober, and as capable as he ever is of hearing rea- 
son — that is, of perceiving his own interest. But 
after his breakfast is washed down with Rhine- 
wein, which he drinks every morning before he 
hears mass, his fury blinds even his avarice. ” 

“ All I want, in order to execute this scheme, ” 
said Philipson, “ is the loan of a mule to carry my 
valise, which is packed up with your baggage. ” 

“ Take the she-mule, ” said the Landamman ; 
“ she belongs to my brother here from Schwitz ; he 
will gladly bestow her on thee. ” 

“ If she were worth twenty crowns, and my 
comrade Arnold desired me to do so, ” said the old 
whitebeard. 

“ I will accept her as a loan with gratitude, ” 
said the Englishman. “ But how can you dis- 


222 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


pense with the use of the creature? You have 
only one left. ” 

“We can easily supply our want from B&le, ” 
said the Landamman. “ Nay, we can make this 
little delay serve your purpose, Sir Englishman. 
I named for our time of departure the first hour 
after daybreak ; we will postpone it to the second 
hour, which will give us enough of time to get a 
horse or mule, and you, Sir Philipson, space to 
reach La Ferette, where I trust you will have 
achieved your business with De Hagenbach to 
your contentment, and will join company again 
with us as we travel through Burgundy.” 

“ If our mutual objects will permit our travel- 
ling together, worthy Landamman,” answered the 
merchant, “ I shall esteem myself most happy in 
becoming the partner of your journey. — And now 
resume the repose which I have interrupted. ” 

“ God bless you, wise and true-hearted man, ” 
said the Landamman, rising and embracing the 
Englishman. “ Should we never meet again, I 
will still remember the merchant who neglected 
thoughts of gain, that he might keep the path of 
wisdom and rectitude. I know not another who 
would not have risked the shedding a lake of 
blood to save five ounces of gold. — Farewell thou 
too, gallant young man. Thou hast learned among 
us to keep thy foot firm while on the edge of a 
Helvetian crag, but none can teach thee so well as 
thy father to keep an upright path among the 
morasses and precipices of human life.” 

He then embraced and took a kind farewell of 
his friends, in which, as usual, he was imitated 
by his friend of Schwitz, who swept with his long 
beard the right and left cheeks of both the Eng- 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


223 


lishmen, and again made them heartily welcome 
to the use of his mule. All then once more com- 
posed themselves to rest, for the space which 
remained before the appearance of the autumnal 
dawn. 


CHAPTER XIII. 


The enmity and discord, which of late 

Sprung from the rancorous outrage of your Duke 

To merchants, our well-dealing countrymen, — 

Who, wanting guilders to redeem their lives, 

Have seal’d his rigorous statutes with their bloods, 

Excludes all pity from our threat’ning looks. 

Comedy of Errors. 

The dawn had scarce begun to touch the distant 
horizon, when Arthur Philipson was on foot to pre- 
pare for his father’s departure and his own, which, 
as arranged on the preceding night, was to take 
place two hours before the Landamman and his 
attendants proposed to leave the ruinous castle of 
Graffs-lust. It was no difficult matter for him to 
separate the neatly arranged packages which con- 
tained his father’s effects from the clumsy bundles 
in which the baggage of the Swiss was deposited. 
The one set of mails was made up with the neat- 
ness of men accustomed to long and perilous jour- 
neys ; the other, with the rude carelessness of 
those who rarely left their home, and who were 
altogether inexperienced. 

A servant of the Landamman assisted Arthur in 
this task, and in placing his father’s baggage on 
the mule belonging to the bearded deputy from 
Schwitz. From this man also he received in- 
structions concerning the road from Graffs-lust to 
Brisach (the chief citadel of La Ferette), which 
was too plain and direct to render it likely that 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


225 


they should incur any risk of losing their way, as 
had befallen them when travelling on the Swiss 
mountains. Everything being now prepared for 
their departure, the young Englishman awakened 
his father, and acquainted him that all was ready. 
He then retired towards the chimney, while his 
father, according to his daily custom, repeated the 
prayer of St. Julian, the patron of travellers, and 
adjusted his dress for the journey. 

It will not be wondered at, that, while the 
father went through his devotions, and equipped 
himself for travel, Arthur, with his heart full of 
what he had seen of Anne of Geierstein for some 
time before, and his brain dizzy with the recollec- 
tion of the incidents of the preceding night, should 
have kept his eyes riveted on the door of the sleep- 
ing-apartment at which he had last seen that 
young person disappear; that is, unless the pale 
and seemingly fantastic form which had twice 
crossed him so strangely should prove no wander- 
ing spirit of the elements, but the living substance 
of the person whose appearance it bore. So eager 
was his curiosity on this subject, that he strained 
his eyes to the utmost, as if it had been possible 
for them to have penetrated through wood and 
walls into the chamber of the slumbering maiden, 
in order to discover whether her eye or cheek bore 
any mark that she had last night been a watcher 
or a wanderer. 

“ But that was the proof to which Rudolph 
appealed, ” he said internally, “ and Rudolph alone 
will have the opportunity of remarking the result. 
Who knows what advantage my communication 
may give him in his suit with yonder lovely crea- 
ture ? And what must she think of me, save as 

VOL. I. — 15 


226 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


one light of thought and loose of tongue, to whom 
nothing extraordinary can chance, but he must 
hasten to babble it into the ears of those who are 
nearest to him at the moment ? I would my 
tongue had been palsied ere I said a syllable to 
yonder proud yet wily prize-fighter ! I shall never 
• see her more — that is to be counted for certain. 
I shall never know the true interpretation of those 
mysteries which hang around her. But to think 
I may have prated something tending to throw her 
into the power of yonder ferocious boor will be a 
subject of remorse to me while I live. ” 

Here he was startled out of his reverie by the 
voice of his father. “ Why, how now, boy ? Art 
thou waking, Arthur, or sleeping on thy feet from 
the fatigue of last night’s service ? ” 

“ Not so, my father,” answered Arthur, at once 
recollecting himself. “ Somewhat drowsy, perhaps ; 
but the fresh morning air will soon put that to 
flight.” 

Walking with precaution through the group of 
sleepers who lay around, the elder Philipson, when 
they had gained the door of the apartment, turned 
back, and, looking on the straw couch which the 
large form of the Landamman, and the silvery 
beard of his constant companion, touched by the 
earliest beams of light, distinguished as that of 
Arnold Biederman, he muttered between his lips 
an involuntary adieu. 

“ Farewell, mirror of ancient faith and integ- 
rity, — farewell, noble Arnold, — farewell, soul of 
truth and candour — to whom cowardice, selfish- 
ness, and falsehood, are alike unknown ! ” 

And farewell, thought his son, to the loveliest, 
and most candid, yet most mysterious of maidens ! 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


227 


— But the adieu, as may well be believed, was 
not, like that of his father, expressed in words. 

They were soon after on the outside of the gate. 
The Swiss domestic was liberally recompensed, 
and charged with a thousand kind words of fare- 
well and of remembrance to the Landamman from 
his English guests, mingled with hopes and wishes 
that they might soon meet again in the Burgun- 
dian territory. The young man then took the 
bridle of the mule, and led the animal forward on 
their journey at an easy pace, his father walking 
by his side. 

After a silence of some minutes, the elder 
Philipson addressed Arthur. “ I fear me, ” he 
said, “ we shall see the worthy Landamman no 
more. The youths who attend him are bent upon 
taking offence — the Duke of Burgundy will not 
fail, I fear, to give them ample occasion — and the 
peace which the excellent man desires for the land 
of his fathers will be shipwrecked ere they reach 
the Duke’s presence; though, even were it other- 
wise, how the proudest prince in Europe will brook 
the moody looks of burgesses and peasants (so will 
Charles of Burgundy term the friends we have 
parted from) is a question too easily answered. 
A war, fatal to the interests of all concerned, save 
Louis of France, will certainly take place; and 
dreadful must be the contest, if the ranks of the 
Burgundian chivalry shall encounter those iron 
sons of the mountains, before whom so many of the 
Austrian nobility have been repeatedly prostrated. ” 

“ I am so much convinced of the truth of what 
you say, my father,” replied Arthur, “ that I judge 
even this day will not pass over without a breach 
of truce. I have already put on my shirt of mail, 


228 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


in case we should meet bad company betwixt 
Graffs-lust and Brisach; and I would to Heaven 
that you would observe the same precaution. It 
will not delay our journey; and I confess to you, 
that I, at least, will travel with much greater 
consciousness of safety should you do so. " 

“ I understand you, my son, ” replied the elder 
Philipson. “ But I am a peaceful traveller in the 
Duke of Burgundy’s territories, and must not 
willingly suppose that, while under the shadow of 
his banner, I must guard myself against banditti, 
as if I were in the wilds of Palestine. As for the 
authority of his officers, and the extent of their 
exactions, I need not tell you that they are, in our 
circumstances, things to be submitted to without 
grief or grudging. ” 

Leaving the two travellers to journey towards 
Brisach at their leisure, I must transport my 
readers to the eastern gate of that small town, 
which, situated on an eminence, had a command- 
ing prospect on every side, but especially towards 
Bale. It did not properly make a part of the 
dominions of the Duke of Burgundy, but had been 
placed in his hands in pawn, or in pledge, for the 
repayment of a considerable sum of money, due to 
Charles by the Emperor Sigismund of Austria, to 
whom the seigniory of the place belonged in pro- 
perty. But the town lay so conveniently for dis- 
tressing the commerce of the Swiss, and inflicting 
on that people, whom he at once hated and despised, 
similar marks of his malevolence, as to encourage 
a general opinion, that the Duke of Burgundy, 
the implacable and unreasonable enemy of these 
mountaineers, would never listen to any terms of 
redemption, however equitable or advantageous, 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


229 


which might have the effect of restoring to the 
Emperor an advanced post of such consequence to 
the gratification of his dislike as Brisach. 

The situation of the little town was in itself 
strong, but the fortifications which surrounded it 
were barely sufficient to repel any sudden attack, 
and not adequate to resist for any length of time 
a formal siege. The morning beams had shone on 
the spire of the church for more than an hour, 
when a tall, thin, elderly man, wrapped in a 
morning gown, over which was buckled a broad 
belt, supporting on the left side a sword, on the 
right a dagger, approached the barbican of the 
eastern gate. His bonnet displayed a feather, 
which, or the tail of a fox in lieu of it, was the 
emblem of gentle blood throughout all Germany, 
and a badge highly prized by those who had a 
right to wear it. 

The small party of soldiers who had kept watch 
there during the course of the preceding night, and 
supplied sentinels both for ward and outlook, took 
arms on the appearance of this individual, and 
drew themselves up in the form of a guard, which 
receives with military reverence an officer of im- 
portance. Archibald de Hagenbach’s countenance, 
for it was the Governor himself, expressed that set- 
tled peevishness and ill temper which characterise 
the morning hours of a valetudinary debauchee. 
His head throbbed, his pulse was feverish, and 
his cheek was pale — symptoms of his having 
spent the last night, as was his usual custom, 
amid wine-stoups and flagons. Judging from the 
haste with which his soldiers fell into their ranks, 
and the awe and silence which reigned among 
them, it appeared that they were accustomed to 


230 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


expect and dread his ill humour on such occasions. 
He glanced at them, accordingly, an inquisitive 
and dissatisfied look, as if he sought something on 
which to vent his peevishness, and then asked for 
the “ loitering dog Kilian. ” 

Kilian presently made his appearance, a stout 
hard-favoured man-at-arms, a Bavarian by birth, 
and by rank the personal squire of the Governor. 

“ What news of the Swiss churls, Kilian ? ” 
demanded Archibald de Hagenbach. “ They should, 
by their thrifty habits, have been on the road two 
hours since. Have the peasant-clods presumed to 
ape the manners of gentlemen, and stuck by the 
flask till cock-crow ? ” 

“ By my faith, it may well be, ” answered Ki- 
lian ; “ the burghers of Bale gave them full means 
of carousal. ” 

“ How, Kilian ? — They dared not offer hospi- 
tality to the Swiss drove of bullocks, after the 
charge we sent them to the contrary ? ” 

“ Nay, the Balese received them not into the 
town, ” replied the squire ; “ but I learned, by sure 
espial, that they afforded them means of quarter- 
ing at Graffs-lust, which was furnished with many 
a fair gammon and pasty, to speak naught of flasks 
of Rhine-wine, barrels of beer, and stoups of strong 
waters. ” 

“ The Balese shall answer this, Kilian, ” said the 
Governor. “ Do they think I am for ever to be 
thrusting myself between the Duke and his plea- 
sure on their behalf ? — The fat porkers have pre- 
sumed too much since we accepted some trifling 
gifts at their hands, more for gracing of them, 
than for any advantage we could make of their 
paltry donations. Was it not the wine from B&le 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


231 


which we were obliged to drink out in pint goblets, 
lest it should become sour before morning ? ” 

“ It was drunk out, and in pint goblets too, ” 
said Kilian ; “ so much I can well remember. p 
“ Why, go to, then,” said the Governor; “ they 
shall know, these beasts of Bale, that I hold myself 
no way obliged by such donations as these, and 
that my remembrance of the wines which I carouse 
rests no longer than the headache which the mix- 
tures they drug me with never fail of late years to 
leave behind, for the next morning’s pastime. ” 

“ Your excellency, ” replied the squire, “ will 
make it, then, a quarrel between the Duke of 
Burgundy and the city of Bale, that they gave 
this indirect degree of comfort and assistance to 
the Swiss deputation ? ” 

* Ay, marry will I, ” said De Hagenbach, “ un- 
less there be wise men among them, who shall 
show me good reasons for protecting them. Oh, 
the B&lese do not know our Noble Duke, nor the 
gift he hath for chastising the gutter-blooded citi- 
zens of a free town. Thou canst tell them, Kilian, 
as well as any man, how he dealt with the villains 
of Liege, when they would needs be pragmatical. ” 

“ I will apprise them of the matter, ” said Kilian, 
“ when opportunity shall serve, and I trust I shall 
find them in a temper disposed to cultivate your 
honourable friendship. ” 

“ Nay, if it is the same to them, it is quite indif- 
ferent to me, Kilian, ” continued the Governor ; 
“ but, methinks, whole and sound throats are 
worth some purchase, were it only to swallow 
black-puddings and schwarz-beer, to say nothing 
of Westphalian hams and Nierensteiner — I say, a 
slashed throat is a useless thing, Kilian. ” 


232 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


“ I will make the fat citizens to understand 
their danger, and the necessity of making inte- 
rest, ” answered Kilian. “ Sure, I am not now to 
learn how to turn the ball into your excellency’s 
lap. ” 

“ You speak well, ” said Sir Archibald ; — “ but 
how chanced it thou hast so little to say to 
the Switzers’ leaguer? I should have thought an 
old trooper like thee would have made their 
pinions flutter amidst the good cheer thou tellest 
me of. ” 

“ I might as well have annoyed an angry hedge- 
hog with my bare finger, ” said Kilian. “ I sur- 
veyed Graffs-lust myself; — there were sentinels 
on the castle walls, a sentinel on the bridge, 
besides a regular patrol of these Swiss fellows who 
kept strict watch. So that there was nothing to 
be done, otherwise, knowing your excellency’s 
ancient quarrel, I would have had a hit at them, 
when they should never have known who hurt 
them. I will tell you, however, fairly, that these 
churls are acquiring better knowledge in the art of 
war than the best Ritter knight. ” 

“ Well, they will be the better worth the look- 
ing after when they arrive, ” said De Hagenbach ; 
“ they come forth in state doubtless, with all their 
finery, their wives’ chains of silver, their own 
medals, and rings of lead and copper. — Ah, the 
base hinds, they are unworthy that a man of noble 
blood should ease them of their trash ! ” 

“ There is better ware among them, if my intel- 
ligence hath not deceived me,” replied Kilian; 

“ there are merchants ” 

“ Pshaw 1 the packhorses of Berne and Soleure, ” 
said the Governor, “ with their paltry lumber, 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


233 


cloth too coarse to make covers for horses of any 
breeding, and linen that is more like hair-cloth 
than any composition of flax. I will strip them, 
however, were it but to vex the knaves. What! 
not content with claiming to be treated like an 
independent people, and sending forth deputies 
and embassies forsooth, they expect, I warrant, to 
make the indemnities of ambassadors cover the 
introduction of a cargo of their contraband com- 
modities, and thus insult the noble Duke of 
Burgundy, and cheat him at the same time ? But 
De Hagenbach is neither knight nor gentleman if 
he allow them to pass unchallenged. ” 

“ And they are better worth being stopped, ” said 
Kilian, “ than your excellency supposes ; for they 
have English merchants along with them, and 
under their protection. ” 

“ English merchants ! ” exclaimed De Hagen- 
bach, his eyes sparkling with joy; “ English mer- 
chants, Kilian! Men talk of Cathay and Ind, 
where there are mines of silver, and gold, and dia- 
monds ; but, on the faith of a gentleman, I believe 
these brutish Islanders have the caves of treasure 
wholly within their own foggy land! And then 
the variety of their rich merchandise, — Ha, 
Kilian! is it a long train of mules — a jolly tink- 
ling team ? — By Our Lady’s glove ! the sound of it 
is already jingling in my ears, more musically 
than all the harps of all the minne-singers at 
Heilbron ! ” 

“ Kay, my lord, there is no great train, ” replied 
the squire ; — “ only two men, as I am given to 
understand, with scarce so much baggage as loads 
a mule ; but, it is said, of infinite value, silk and 
samite, lace and furs, pearls and jewellery -work 


234 ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 

— perfumes from the East, and gold- work from 
Venice. " 

“ Raptures and paradise ! say not a word more, ” 
exclaimed the rapacious knight of Hagenbach ; 
“ they are all our own, Kilian ! Why, these are 
the very men I have dreamed of twice a week for 
this month past — ay, two men of middle stature, 
or somewhat under it — with smooth, round, fair, 
comely visages, having stomachs as plump as 
partridges, and purses as plump as their stomachs 

— Ha, what say’st thou to my dream, Kilian ? ” 

“ Only, that, to be quite soothfast, ” answered 
the squire, “ it should have included the presence 
of a score, or thereabouts, of sturdy young giants 
as ever climbed cliff, or carried bolt to whistle at 
a chamois — a lusty plump of clubs, bills, and 
partisans, such as make shields crack like oaten 
cakes, and helmets ring like church-bells. ” 

“ The better, knave, the better ! * exclaimed the 
Governor, rubbing his hands. “ English pedlars 
to plunder! Swiss bullies to beat into submis- 
sion ! I wot well, we can have nothing of the 
Helvetian swine save their beastly bristles — it is 
lucky they bring these two island sheep along 
with them. But we must get ready our boar- 
spears, and clear the clipping-pens for exercise of 
our craft. — Here, Lieutenant Schonfeldt ! ” 

An officer stepped forth. 

“ How many men are here on duty ? ” 

“ About sixty, ” replied the officer. “ Twenty 
out on parties in different directions, and there 
may be forty or fifty in their quarters.” 

“ Order them all under arms instantly ; — hark 
ye, not by trumpet or bugle, but by warning them 
individually in their quarters, to draw to arms as 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


235 


quietly as possible, and rendezvous here at the 
eastern gate. Tell the villains there is booty to 
be gained, and they shall have their share. ” 

“ On these terms, ” said Schonfeldt, “ they will 
walk over a spider’s web without startling the 
insect that wove it. I will collect them without 
loss of an instant. ” 

“ I tell thee, Kilian, ” continued the exulting 
commandant, again speaking apart with his confi- 
dential attendant, “ nothing could come so luckily 
as the chance of this onslaught. Duke Charles 
desires to affront the Swiss, — not, look you, that 
he cares to act towards them by his own direct 
orders, in such a manner as might be termed a 
breach of public faith towards a peaceful embassy ; 
but the gallant follower who shall save his prince 
the scandal of such an affair, and whose actions 
may be termed a mistake or misapprehension, 
shall, I warrant you, be accounted to have done 
knightly service. Perchance a frown may be 
passed upon him in public, but in private the 
Duke will know how to esteem him. — Why 
standest thou so silent, man, and what ails thy 
ugly ill-looking aspect? Thou art not afraid of 
twenty Switzer boys, and we at the head of such 
a band of spears ? ” 

“ The Swiss, ” answered Kilian, “ will give and 
take good blows, yet I have no fear of them. But 
I like not that we should trust too much to Duke 
Charles. That he would be, in the first instance, 
pleased with any dishonour done the Swiss is 
likely enough ; but if, as your excellency hints, 
he finds it afterwards convenient to ■ disown the 
action, he is a prince likely to give a lively colour 
to his disavowal by hanging up the actors. ” 


236 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


“ Pshaw ! ” said the commandant, “ I know 
where I stand. Such a trick were like enough to 
be played by Louis of France, but it is foreign to 
the blunt character of our Bold one of Burgundy. 

— Why the devil stand ’st thou still, man, sim- 
pering like an ape at a roasted chestnut, which 
he thinks too warm for his fingers ? * 

“ Your excellency is wise as well as warlike, ” 
said the esquire, “ and it is not for me to contest 
your pleasure. But this peaceful embassy — these 
English merchants — if Charles goes to war with 
Louis, as the rumour is current, what he should 
most of all desire is the neutrality of Switzerland, 
and the assistance of England, whose King is 
crossing the sea with a great army. Now you, Sir 
Archibald of Hagenbach, may well do that in the 
course of this very morning which will put the 
Confederated Cantons in arms against Charles, and 
turn the English from allies into enemies. ” 

“ I care not, ” said the commandant ; “ I know the 
Duke’s humour well, and if he, the master of so 
many provinces, is willing to risk them in a self- 
willed frolic, what is it to Archibald de Hagen- 
bach, who has not a foot of land to lose in the 
cause ? ” 

“ But you have life, my lord, ” said the esquire. 

“ Ay, life ! ” replied the knight ; “ a paltry right 
to exist, which I have been ready to stake every 
day of my life for dollars — ay, and for kreutzers 

— and think you I will hesitate to pledge it for 
broad-pieces, jewels of the East, and goldsmith’s 
work of Venice ? No, Kilian ; these English must 
be eased of their bales, that Archibald de Hagen- 
bach may drink a purer flask than their thin 
Moselle, and wear a brocade doublet instead of 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


237 


greasy velvet. Nor is it less necessary that Kilian 
should have a seemly new jerkin, with a purse of 
ducats to jingle at his girdle. ” 

“ By my faith, ” said Kilian, “ that last argu- 
ment hath disarmed my scruples, and I give up 
the point, since it ill befits me to dispute with 
your excellency. ” 

“ To the work then, ” said his leader. “ But stay 
— we must first take the church along with us. 
The Priest of St. Paul’s hath been moody of late, 
and spread abroad strange things from the pulpit, 
as if we were little better than common pillagers 
and robbers. Nay, he hath had the insolence to 
warn me, as he termed it, twice, in strange form. 
It were well to break the growling mastiff’s bald 
head ; but since that might be ill taken by the 
Duke, the next point of wisdom is to fling him 
a bone. ” 

“ He may be a dangerous enemy, ” said the 
squire dubiously ; “ his power is great with the 
people. ” 

“ Tush ! ” replied Hagenbach, “ I know how to 
disarm the shaveling. Send to him, and tell him 
to come hither to speak with me. Meanwhile 
have all our force under arms ; let the barbican 
and barrier be well manned with archers ; station 
spearmen in the houses on each hand of the gate- 
way ; and let the street be barricaded with carts, 
well bound together, but placed as if they had 
been there by accident — place a body of deter- 
mined fellows in these carts, and behind them. 
So soon as the merchants and their mules enter 
(for that is the main point), up with your draw- 
bridge, down with the portcullis, send a volley of 
arrows among those who are without, if they make 


238 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


any scuffle; disarm and secure those who have 
entered, and are cooped up between the barricade 
before, and the ambush behind and around them 

— And then , Kilian” 

“ And then, ” said his esquire, “ shall we, like 
merry Free Companions, be knuckle deep in the 
English budgets”" 

“And, like jovial hunters,” replied the knight, 
“ elbow-deep in Swiss blood. ” 

u The game will stand at bay though, ” answered 
Kilian. “ They are led by that Donnerhugel whom 
we have heard of, whom they call the Young Bear 
of Berne. They will turn to their defence. ” 

“ The better, man — wouldst thou kill sheep 
rather than hunt wolves ? Besides, our toils are 
set, and the whole garrison shall assist. Shame 
on thee, Kilian, thou wert not wont to have so 
many scruples ! ” 

“Nor have I now,” said Kilian. “But these 
Swiss bills, and two-handed swords of the breadth 
of four inches, are no child’s play. — And then if 
you call all our garrison to the attack, to whom 
will your excellency intrust the defence of the 
other gates, and the circuit of the walls ? ” 

“ Lock, bolt, and chain up the gates, ” replied 
the Governor, “ and bring the keys hither. There 
shall no one leave the place till this affair is over. 
Let some score of the citizens take arms for the 
duty of guarding the walls; and look they dis- 
charge it well, or I will lay a fine on them which 
they shall discharge to purpose. ” 

“ They will grumble, ” said Kilian. “ They say, 
that not being the Duke’s subjects, though the 
place is impledged to his Grace, they are not liable 
to military service. ” 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


239 


“ They lie ! the cowardly slaves, ” answered De 
Hagenbach. “ If I have not employed them much 
hitherto, it is because I scorn their assistance ; 
nor would I now use their help, were it for any- 
thing save to keep a watch, by looking out straight 
before them. Let them obey, as they respect their 
property, persons, and families. ” 

A deep voice behind them repeated the emphatic 
language of Scripture, — “ I have seen the wicked 
man flourish in his power even like unto a laurel, 
but I returned and he was not — yea, I sought 
him, but he was not to be found. ” 

Sir Archibald de Hagenbach turned sternly, and 
encountered the dark and ominous looks of the 
Priest of St. Paul’s, dressed in the vestments of 
his order. 

“ We are busy, father, ” said the Governor, “ and 
will hear your preachment another time. ” 

“ I come by your summons, Sir Governor, ” said 
the priest, “ or I had not intruded myself where I 
well knew my preachments, if you term them so, 
will do no good. ” 

“ Oh, I crave your mercy, reverend father, ” said 
De Hagenbach. “ Yes, it is true that I did send 
for you, to desire your prayers and kind interces- 
sion with Our Lady and St. Paul, in some transac- 
tions which are likely to occur this morning, and 
in which, as the Lombard says, I do espy roba di 
guadagno. ” 

“ Sir Archibald, ” answered the priest calmly, 
“ I well hope and trust that you do not forget the 
nature of the glorified Saints so far as to ask them 
for their blessing upon such exploits as you have 
been too oft engaged in since your arrival amongst 
us — an event which of itself gave token of the 


240 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


divine anger. Nay, let me say, humble as I am, 
that decency to a servant of the altar should check 
you from proposing to me to put up prayers for the 
success of pillage and robbery. ” 

“ I understand you, father, ” said the rapacious 
Governor, “ and you shall see I do. While you 
are the Duke’s subject, you must by your office 
put up your prayers for his success in matters that 
are fairly managed. You acknowledge this with 
a graceful bend of your reverend head ? Well, 
then, I will be as reasonable as you are. Say we 
desire the intercession of the good Saints, and of 
you, their pious orator, in something a little out 
of the ordinary path, and, if you will, somewhat 
of a doubtful complexion, — are we entitled to ask 
you or them for their pains and trouble without a 
just consideration? Surely no. Therefore I vow 
and solemnly promise, that if I have good fortune 
in this morning’s adventure, St. Paul shall have 
an altar-cloth and a basin of silver, large or little, 
as my booty will permit — Our Lady a web of satin 
for a full suit, with a necklace of pearl for holi- 
days — and thou, priest, some twenty pieces of 
broad English gold, for acting as go-between be- 
twixt ourselves and the blessed Apostles, whom 
we acknowledge ourselves unworthy to negotiate 
with in our profane person. And now, Sir Priest, 
do we understand each other, for I have little time 
to lose ? I know you have hard thoughts of me, 
but you see the devil is not quite so horrible as he 
is painted. ” 

“ Do we understand each other ? ” answered the 
Black Priest of St. Paul’s, repeating the Gover- 
nor’s question — “ Alas, no ! and I fear me we 
never shall. Hast thou never heard the words 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


241 


spoken by the holy hermit, Berchtold of Offringen, 
to the implacable Queen Agnes, who had revenged 
with such dreadful severity the assassination of 
her father, the Emperor Albert ? ” 

“ Not I,” returned the knight; “ I have neither 
studied the chronicles of emperors, nor the legends 
of hermits; and therefore, Sir Priest, an you like 
not my proposal, let us have no further words on 
the matter. I am unwont to press my favours, or 
to deal with priests who require entreaty, when 
gifts are held out to them. ” 

“ Hear yet the words of the holy man, ” said the 
priest. * The time may come, and that shortly, 
when you would gladly desire to hear what you 
scornfully reject. ” 

“ Speak on, but be brief, ” said Archibald de 
Hagenbach ; “ and know, though thou mayst terrify 
or cajole the multitude, thou now speakest to one 
whose resolution is fixed far beyond the power of 
thy eloquence to melt. ” 

“ Know, then,” said the Priest of St, Paul’s, 
“ that Agnes, daughter of the murdered Albert, 
after shedding oceans of blood in avenging his 
bloody death, founded at length the rich abbey of 
Konigsfeldt; and, that it might have a superior 
claim to renowned sanctity, made a pilgrimage in 
person to the cell of the holy hermit, and besought 
of him to honour her abbey by taking up his resi- 
dence there. But what was his reply ? — Mark it 
and tremble. 'Begone, ruthless woman,’ said the 
holy man ; ‘ God will not be served with blood- 
guiltiness, and rejects the gifts which are obtained 
by violence and robbery. The Almighty loves 
mercy, justice, and humanity, and by the lovers 
of these only will He be worshipped. ’ And now, 

VOL. I. — 16 


242 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


Archibald of Hagenbach, once, twice, thrice, hast 
thou had warning. Live as becomes a man on 
whom sentence is passed, and who must expect 
execution. ” 

Having spoken these words with a menacing 
tone and frowning aspect, the Priest of St. 
Paul’s turned away from the Governor, whose first 
impulse was to command him to be arrested. But 
when he recollected the serious consequences which 
attached to the laying violent hands on a priest, 
he suffered him to depart in peace, conscious that 
his own unpopularity might render any attempt 
to revenge himself an act of great rashness. He 
called, therefore, for a beaker of Burgundy, in 
which he swallowed down his displeasure, and 
had just returned to Kilian the cup, which he had 
drained to the bottom, when the warden winded a 
blast from the watch-tower, which betokened the 
arrival of strangers at the gate of the city. 


CHAPTER XIV. 


I will resist such entertainment, till 
My enemy has more power. 

The Tempest. 

“ That blast was but feebly blown, ” said De 
Hagenbach, ascending to the ramparts, from which 
he could see what passed on the outside of the 
gate. “ Who approaches, Kilian ? ” 

The trusty squire was hastening to meet him 
with the news. 

“ Two men with a mule, an it please your excel- 
lency ; and merchants, I presume them to be. ” 

“ Merchants ? ’Sdeath, villain ! pedlars you mean. 
Heard ever man of English merchants tramping it 
on foot, with no more baggage than one mule can 
manage to carry ? They must be beggarly Bohe- 
mians, or those whom the French people call 
Escossais. The knaves ! they shall pay with the 
pining of their paunches for the poverty of their 
purses. ” 

“ Do not be too hasty, an please your excel- 
lency, * quoth the squire ; “ small budgets hold rich 
goods. But, rich or poor, they are our men, at 
least they have all the marks — the elder, well- 
sized and dark-visaged, may write fifty and five 
years, a beard somewhat grizzled; — the younger, 
some two-and-twenty, taller than the first, and a 
well-favoured lad, with a smooth chin and light- 
brown mustaches. ” 




244 ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 

“ Let them be admitted, ” said the Governor, 
turning back in order again to descend to the 
street, “ and bring them into the folter-kammer of 
the toll-house. ” 

So saying, he betook himself to the place ap- 
pointed, which was an apartment in the large 
tower that protected the eastern gateway, in which 
were deposited the rack, with various other instru- 
ments of torture, which the cruel and rapacious 
Governor was in the habit of applying to such 
prisoners from whom he was desirous of extorting 
either booty or information. He entered the 
apartment, which was dimly lighted, and had a 
lofty Gothic roof which could be but imperfectly 
seen, while nooses and cords hanging down from 
thence announced a fearful connection with various 
implements of rusted iron that hung round the 
walls or lay scattered on the floor. 

A faint stream of light through one of the 
numerous and narrow slits, or shot-holes, with 
which the walls were garnished, fell directly upon 
the person and visage of a tall swarthy man, seated • 
in what, but for the partial illumination, would 
have been an obscure corner of this evil-boding 
apartment. His features were regular, and even 
handsome, but of a character peculiarly stern and 
sinister. This person’s dress was a cloak of scar- 
let ; his head was bare, and surrounded by shaggy 
locks of black, which time had partly grizzled. 

He was busily employed in furbishing and bur- 
nishing a broad two-handed sword, of a peculiar 
shape, and considerably shorter than the weapons 
of that kind which we have described as used by 
the Swiss. He was so deeply engaged in his task, 
that he started as the heavy door opened with a 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


245 


jarring noise, and the sword, escaping from his 
hold, rolled on the stone floor with a heavy clash. 

“ Ha ! Scharfgerichter, ” said the Knight, as he 
entered the folter-kammer, “ thou art preparing for 
thy duty ? ” 

“ It would ill become your excellency’s ser- 
vant, ” answered the man, in a harsh deep tone, 
“ to be found idle. But the prisoner is not far off, 
as I can judge by the fall of my sword, which 
infallibly announces the presence of him who 
shall feel its edge. ” 

“ The prisoners are at hand, Francis, ” replied 
the Governor ; “ but thy omen has deceived thee 
for on'ce. They are fellows for whom a good rope 
will suffice, and thy sword drinks only noble 
blood. ” 

“The worse for Francis Steinernherz, ” replied 
the official in scarlet : “ I trusted that your excel- 
lency, who have ever been a bountiful patron, 
should this day have made me noble. ” 

“ Noble ! ” said the Governor; “ thou art mad — 
Thou noble ! The common executioner ! ” 

“ And wherefore not, Sir Archibald de Hagen- 
bach ? I think the name of Francis Steinernherz 
von Blut-acker will suit nobility, being fairly and 
legally won, as well as another. Nay, do not stare 
on me thus. If one of my profession shall do his 
grim office on nine men of noble birth, with the 
same weapon, and with a single blow to each 
patient, hath he not a right to his freedom from 
taxes, and his nobility by patent ? ” 

“ So says the law, ” said Sir Archibald, after 
reflecting for a moment, — “ but rather more in 
scorn than seriously, I should judge, since no one 
was ever known to claim the benefit of it. ” 


246 


ANNE OE GE1ERSTEIN. 


“ The prouder boast for him, ” said the func- 
tionary, “ that shall be the first to demand the 
honours due to a sharp sword and a clean stroke. 
I, Francis Steinernherz, will be the first noble of 
my profession, when I shall have despatched one 
more knight of the Empire. ” 

“ Thou hast been ever in my service, hast thou 
not ? ” demanded De Hagenbach. 

“ Under what other master, ” replied the execu- 
tioner, “ could I have enjoyed such constant prac- 
tice ? I have executed your decrees on condemned 
sinners since I could swing a scourge, lift a crow- 
bar, or wield this trusty weapon ; and who can say 
I ever failed of my first blow, or needed to deal a 
second ? Tristrem of the Hospital, and his famous 
assistants, Petit Andrd and Trois Eschelles, are 
novices compared with me in the use of the noble 
and knightly sword. Marry, I should be ashamed 
to match myself with them in the field practice 
with bowstring and dagger; these are no feats 
worthy of a Christian man who would rise to 
honour and nobility. ” 

“ Thou art a fellow of excellent address, and I 
do not deny it, ” replied De Hagenbach. “ But it 
cannot be — I trust it cannot be — that when noble 
blood is becoming scarce in the land, and proud 
churls are lording it over knights and barons, I 
myself should have caused so much to be spilled ? ” 
“ I will number the patients to your excellency 
by name and title,” said Francis, drawing out a 
scroll of parchment, and reading with a commen- 
tary as he went on, — “ There was Count William 
of Elvershoe — he was my assay -piece, a sweet 
youth, and died most like a Christian. ” 

“ I remember — he was indeed a most smart 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. ' 247 

youth, and courted my mistress, ” said Sir Archi- 
bald. 

“ He died on St. Jude’s, in the year of grace 
1455,” said the executioner. 

“ Go on — but name no dates, ” said the Governor. 

“ Sir Miles of Stockenborg ” 

“ He drove off my cattle, ” observed his excel- 
lency. 

“ Sir Louis of Riesenfeldt ” — continued the 
executioner. 

“ He made love to my wife, ” commented the 
Governor. 

“ The three Yung-herren of Lammerbourg — you 
made their father, the Count, childless in one 
day. ” 

“ And he made me landless, ” said Sir Archi- 
bald, “ so that account is settled. — Thou needest 
read no further, ” he continued : “ I admit thy 
record, though it is written in letters somewhat 
of the reddest. I had counted these three young 
gentlemen as one execution. ” 

“ You did me the greater wrong, ” said Francis ; 
“ they cost three good separate blows of this good 
sword. ” 

“ Be it so, and God be with their souls, ” said 
Hagenbach. “ But thy ambition must go to sleep 
for a while, Scharfgerichter, for the stuff that came 
hither to-day is for dungeon and cord, or perhaps 
a touch of the rack or strappado — there is no 
honour to win on them. ” 

“ The worse luck mine, ” said the executioner. 
“ I had dreamed so surely that your honour had 
made me noble ; — and then the fall of my sword ? ” 

“ Take a bowl of wine, and forget your augu- 
ries. ” 


248 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


“ With your honour’s permission, no, ” said the 
executioner ; “ to drink before noon were to en- 
danger the nicety of my hand. ” 

“ Be silent then, and mind your duty, ” said De 
Hagenbach. 

Francis took up his sheathless sword, wiped the 
dust reverently from it, and withdrew into a cor- 
ner of the chamber, where he stood leaning with 
his hands on the pommel of the fatal weapon. 

Almost immediately afterwards, Kilian entered 
at the head of five or six soldiers, conducting the 
two Philipsons, whose arms were tied down with 
cords. 

“ Approach me a chair, ” said the Governor, and 
took his place gravely beside a table, on which 
stood writing-materials. “ Who are these men, 
Kilian, and wherefore are they bound ? ” 

“ So please your excellency, ” said Kilian, with 
a deep respect of manner, which entirely differed 
from the tone, approaching to familiarity, with 
which he communicated with his master in pri- 
vate, “ we thought it well that these two strangers 
should not appear armed in your gracious presence ; 
and when we required of them to surrender their 
weapons at the gate, as is the custom of the garri- 
son, this young gallant must needs offer resist- 
ance. I admit he gave up his weapon at his 
father’s command. ” 

“ It is false ! ” exclaimed young Philipson ; but 
his father making a sign to him to be silent, he 
obeyed instantly. 

“ Noble sir,” said the elder Philipson, “ we are 
strangers, and unacquainted with the rules of this 
citadel ; we are Englishmen, and unaccustomed to 
submit to personal mishandling; we trust you 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


249 


will have excuse for us, when we found ourselves, 
without any explanation of the cause, rudely seized 
on by we knew not whom. My son, who is young 
and unthinking, did partly draw his weapon, but 
desisted at my command, without having alto- 
gether unsheathed his sword, far less made a blow. 
For myself, I am a merchant, accustomed to sub- 
mit to the laws and customs of the countries in 
which I traffic; I am in the territories of the Duke 
of Burgundy, and I know his laws and customs 
must be just and equitable. He is the powerful 
and faithful ally of England, and I fear nothing 
while under his banner. ” 

“ Hem ! hem ! ” replied De Hagenbach, a little 
disconcerted by the Englishman’s composure, and 
perhaps recollecting, that, unless his passions were 
awakened (as in the case of the Swiss, whom he 
detested), Charles of Burgundy deserved the charac- 
ter of a just though severe prince, — “ Fair words 
are well, but hardly make amends for foul actions. 
You have drawn swords in riot, and opposition to 
the Duke’s soldiers, when obeying the mandates 
which regulate their watch. ” 

“ Surely, sir, ” answered Philipson, “ this is a 
severe construction of a most natural action. But, 
in a word, if you are disposed to be rigorous, the 
simple action of drawing, or attempting to draw 
a sword, in a garrison town, is only punishable by 
pecuniary fine, and such we must pay, if it be 
your will. ” 

“ Now, here is a silly sheep, ” said Kilian to the 
executioner, beside whom he had stationed him- 
self, somewhat apart from the group, “ who volun- 
tarily offers his own fleece to the clipper. ” 

“ It will scarcely serve as a ransom for his 


2 SO 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


throat, Sir Squire, ” answered Francis Steinernherz ; 
" for, look you, I dreamed last night that our mas- 
ter made me noble, and I knew by the fall of my 
sword that this is the man by whom I am to 
mount to gentility. I must this very day deal on 
him with my good sword. ” 

“ Why, thou ambitious fool, ” said the esquire, 
“ this is no noble, but an island pedlar — a mere 
English citizen. ” 

“ Thou art deceived,” said the executioner, “ and 
hast never looked on men when they are about to 
die. ” 

“ Have I not ? ” said the squire. “ Have I not 
looked on five pitched fields, besides skirmishes 
and ambuscades innumerable ? ” 

“That tries not the courage,” said the Scharf- 
gerichter. “ All men will fight when pitched 
against each other. So will the most paltry curs 
— so will the dunghill fowls. But he is brave 
and noble who can look on a scaffold and a block, 
a priest to give him absolution, and the headsman 
and good sword which is to mow him down in his 
strength, as he would look upon things indifferent ; 
and such a man is that whom we now behold. ” 

“ Yes, ” answered Kilian, “ but that man looks 
not on such an apparatus — he only sees our illus- 
trious patron, Sir Archibald de Hagenbach. ” 

“ And he who looks upon Sir Archibald, ” said 
the executioner, “ being, as yonder man assuredly 
is, a person of sense and apprehension, looks he 
not upon sword and headsman ? Assuredly that 
prisoner apprehends as much, and being so com- 
posed as he is under such conviction, it shows him 
to be a nobleman by blood, or may I myself never 
win nobility ! ” 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


251 


“ Our master will come to compromise with him, 
I judge, ” replied Kilian ; “ he looks smilingly on 
him. ” 

“ Never trust to me, then, ” said the man in 
scarlet; “ there is a glance in Sir Archibald’s eye 
which betokens blood, as surely as the dog-star 
bodes pestilence.” 

While these dependants of Sir Archibald de 
Hagenbach were thus conversing apart, their mas- 
ter had engaged the prisoners in a long train of 
captious interrogatories concerning their business 
in Switzerland, their connection with the Lan- 
damman, and the cause of their travelling into 
Burgundy, to all which the senior Philipson gave 
direct and plain answers, excepting to the last. 
He was going, he said, into Burgundy, for the 
purpose of his traffic — his wares were at the 
disposal of the Governor, who might detain all, or 
any part of them, as he might be disposed to make 
himself answerable to his master. But his busi- 
ness with the Duke was of a private nature, re- 
specting some particular matters of commerce, in 
which others as well as he himself were interested. 
To the Duke alone, he declared, would he com- 
municate the affair; >and he pressed it strongly 
on the Governor, that if he should sustain any 
damage in his own person or that of his son, the 
Duke’s severe displeasure would be the inevitable 
consequence. 

De Hagenbach was evidently much embarrassed 
by the steady tone of his prisoner, and more than 
once held council with the bottle, his never-failing 
oracle in cases of extreme difficulty. Philipson 
had readily surrendered to the Governor a list or 
invoice of his merchandise, which was of so in- 


25 2 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


viting a character, that Sir Archibald absolutely 
gloated over it. After remaining in deep medita- 
tion for some time, he raised his head and spoke 
thus : — 

“ You must be well aware, Sir Merchant, that 
it is the Duke’s pleasure that no Swiss merchan- 
dise shall pass through his territories ; and that, 
nevertheless, you having been, by your own ac- 
count, some time in that country, and having also 
accompanied a body of men calling themselves 
Swiss Deputies, I am authorised to believe that 
these valuable articles are rather the property of 
those persons, than of a single individual of so 
poor an appearance as yourself, and that should 
I demand pecuniary satisfaction, three hundred 
pieces of gold would not be an extravagant fine 
for so bold a practice ; and you might wander 
where you will with the rest of your wares, so you 
bring them not into Burgundy. ” 

“ But it is to Burgundy, and to the Duke’s pre- 
sence, that I am expressly bound, ” said the Eng- 
lishman. “ If I go not thither my journey is 
wrecked, and the Duke’s displeasure is certain to 
light on those who may molest me. For I make 
your excellency aware, that your gracious Prince 
already knows of my journey, and will make 
strict inquiry where and by whom I have been 
intercepted. ” 

Again the Governor was silent, endeavouring to 
decide how he might best reconcile the gratifica- 
tion of his rapacity with precaution for his safety. 
After a few minutes’ consideration he again 
addressed his prisoner. 

“ Thou art very positive in thy tale, my good 
friend; but my orders are equally so to exclude 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


253 


merchandise coming from Switzerland. What if 
I put thy mule and baggage under arrest ? ” 

“ I cannot withstand your power, my lord, to do 
what you will. I will in that case go to the 
Duke’s footstool, and do my errand there.” 

“ Ay, and my errand also, ” answered the Gover- 
nor. “ That is, thou wilt carry thy complaint to 
the Duke against the Governor of La Ferette, for 
executing his orders too strictly ? ” 

“ On my life and honest word, ” answered the 
Englishman, “ I will make no complaint. Leave 
me but my ready money, without which I can 
hardly travel to the Duke’s court, and I will look 
no more after these goods and wares than the stag 
looks after the antlers which he shed last year. ” 
Again the Governor of La Ferette looked doubt- 
ful, and shook his head. 

“ Men in such a case as yours, ” he said, “ can- 
not be trusted, nor, to say truth, is it reasonable 
to expect they should be trustworthy. These 
same wares, designed for the Duke’s private hand, 
in what do they consist ? ” 

“ They are under seal, ” replied the Englishman. 
“ They are of rare value, doubtless ? ” continued 
the Governor. 

“ I cannot tell, ” answered the elder Philipson ; 
“ I know the Duke sets great store by them. But 
your excellency knows, that great princes some- 
times place a high value on trifles. ” 

“ Bear you them about you ? ” said the Governor. 
“ Take heed how you answer — Look around you 
on these engines, which can bring a dumb man to 
speak, and consider I have the power to employ 
them ! ” 

“ And I the courage to support their worst 


254 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


infliction,” answered Philipson, with the same 
impenetrable coolness which he had maintained 
throughout the whole conference. 

“ Remember, also, ” said Hagenbach, “ that I 
can have your person searched as thoroughly as 
your mails and budgets. ” 

“ I do remember that I am wholly in thy power ; 
and that I may leave thee no excuse for employing 
force on a peaceful traveller, I will own to you, ” 
said Philipson, “ that I have the Duke’s packet in 
the bosom of my doublet. ” 

“ Bring it forth, ” answered the Governor. 

“ My hands are tied, both in honour and lite- 
rally, ” said the Englishman. 

“ Pluck it from his bosom, Kilian, ” said Sir 
Archibald ; “ let us see this gear he talks of. ” 

“ Could resistance avail, ” replied the stout 
merchant, “ you should pluck forth my heart first. 
But I pray all who are present to observe that the 
seals are every one whole and unbroken at this 
moment when it is forcibly taken from my 
person. ” 

As he spoke thus he looked around on the 
soldiers, whose presence De Hagenbach had per- 
haps forgotten. 

“ How, dog ! ” said Sir Archibald, giving way 
to his passion, “ would you stir up mutiny among 
my men-at-arms ? — Kilian, let the soldiers wait 
without. ” 

So saying, he hastily placed under cover of his 
own robe the small but remarkably well-secured 
packet which Kilian had taken from the mer- 
chant’s person. The soldiers withdrew, lingering, 
however, and looking back, like children brought 
away from a show before its final conclusion. 


/ 



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ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


255 


“ So, fellow ! ” again began De Hagenbach, “ we 
are now more private. Wilt thou deal more on 
the level with me, and tell me what this packet 
is, and whence it comes ? ” 

“ Could all your garrison be crowded into this 
room, I can only answer as before. — The contents 
I do not precisely know — the person by whom it 
was sent I am determined not to name. ” 

“ Perhaps your son, ” said the Governor, “ may be 
more compliant. ” 

“ He cannot tell you that of which he is himself 
ignorant,” answered the merchant. 

“ Perchance the rack may make you both find 
your tongues ; — and we will try it on the young 
fellow first, Kilian, since thou knowest we have 
seen men shrink from beholding the wrenched 
joints of their children, that would have com- 
mitted their own old sinews to the stretching with 
much endurance.” 

“ You may make the trial, ” said Arthur, “ and 

Heaven will give me strength to endure” 

“ And me courage to behold, ” added his father. 
All this while the Governor was turning and 
re-turning the little packet in his hand, curiously 
inspecting every fold, and regretting, doubtless, in 
secret, that a few patches of wax, placed under an 
envelope of crimson satin, and ligatures of twisted 
silk cord, should prevent his eager eyes from as- 
certaining the nature of the treasure which he 
doubted not it concealed. At length he again 
called in the soldiers, and delivered up the two 
prisoners to their charge, commanding that they 
should be kept safely, and in separate holds, and 
that the father, in particular, should be most care- 
fully looked after. 


256 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


“ I take you all here to witness, ” exclaimed the 
elder Philipson, despising the menacing signs of 
De Hagenbach, “ that the Governor detains from 
me a packet, addressed to his most gracious lord 
and master, the Duke of Burgundy. ” 

De Hagenbach actually foamed at the mouth 
with passion. 

“And should I not detain it?” he exclaimed, 
in a voice inarticulate with rage. “ May there not 
be some foul practice against the life of our most 
gracious sovereign by poison or otherwise, in this 
suspicious packet, brought by a most suspicious 
bearer? Have we never heard of poisons which 
do their work by the smell ? And shall we, who 
keep the gate, as I may say, of his Grace of Bur- 
gundy’s dominions, give access to what may rob 
Europe of its pride of chivalry, Burgundy of its 
prince, and Flanders of her father? — No! Away 
with these miscreants, soldiers — down to the low- 
est dungeons with them — keep them separate, and 
watch them carefully. This treasonable practice 
has been meditated with the connivance of Berne 
and Soleure. ” 

Thus Sir Archibald de Hagenbach raved, with 
a raised voice and inflamed countenance, lashing 
himself as it were into passion, until the steps of 
the soldiers, and the clash of their arms, as they 
retired with the prisoners, were no longer audible. 
His complexion, when these had ceased, waxed 
paler than was natural to him — his brow was 
furrowed with anxious wrinkles — and his voice 
became lower and more hesitating than ordinary, 
as, turning to his esquire, he said, “ Kilian, we 
stand upon a slippery plank, with a raging tor- 
rent beneath us — What is to be done ? ” 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


2 57 


“ Marry, to move forward with a resolved yet 
prudent step, ” answered the crafty Kilian. “ It 
is unlucky that all these fellows should have seen 
the packet, and heard the appeal of yonder iron- 
nerved trader. But this ill luck has befallen us, 
and the packet having been in your excellency’s 
hands, you will have all the credit of having 
broken the seals; for, though you leave them as 
entire as the moment they were impressed, it will 
only be supposed they have been ingeniously re- 
placed. Let us see what are the contents, before 
we determine what is to be done with them. They 
must he of rare value, since the churl merchant 
was well contented to leave behind all his rich 
mule’s-load of merchandise, so that this precious 
packet might pass unexamined. ” 

“ They may be papers on some political matter. 
Many such, and of high importance, pass secretly 
between Edward of England and our bold Duke. ” 
Such was the reply of De Hagenbach. 

“ If they be papers of consequence to the Duke,” 
answered Kilian, “ we can forward them to Dijon. 
— Or they may be such as Louis of France would 
purchase with their weight of gold. ” 

“ For shame, Kilian ! ” said the Knight. 
“ Wouldst thou have me betray my master’s se- 
crets to the King of France ? Sooner would I lay 
my head on the block. ” 

“ Indeed ? And yet your excellency hesitates 
not to ” 

Here the squire stopped, apparently for fear of 
giving offence, by affixing a name too broad and 
intelligible to the practices of his patron. 

“ To plunder the Duke, thou wouldst say, thou 
impudent slave? And, saying so, thou wouldst 

VOL. I. — 17 


258 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


be as dull as thou art wont to be,” answered De 
Hagenbach. “ I partake, indeed, in the plunder 
which the Duke takes from aliens ; and reason good. 
Even so the hound and the hawk have their share 
of the quarry they bring down — ay, and the lion’s 
share too, unless the huntsman or falconer be all 
the nearer to them. Such are the perquisites of 
my rank ; and the Duke, who placed me here for 
the gratification of his resentment, and the better- 
ing of my fortune, does not grudge them to a 
faithful servant. And, indeed, I may term my- 
self, in so far as this territory of La Eerette 
extends, the Duke’s full representative, or, as it 
may be termed, Alter Ego — and, thereupon, I 
will open this packet, which, being addressed to 
him, is thereby equally addressed to me. ” 

Having thus in a manner talked himself up to 
an idea of his own high authority, he cut the 
strings of the packet which he had all this while 
held in his hand, and, undoing the outer cover- 
ings, produced a very small case made of sandal- 
wood. 

“ The contents, ” he said, “ had need to be va- 
luable, as they lie in so little compass. ” 

So saying he pressed the spring, and the casket, 
opening, displayed a necklace of diamonds, distin- 
guished by brilliancy and size, and apparently of 
extraordinary value. The eyes of the avaricious 
Governor, and his no less rapacious attendant, 
were so dazzled, with the unusual splendour, that 
for some time they could express nothing save joy 
and surprise. 

“ Ay, marry, sir, ” said Kilian, “ the obstinate 
old knave had reasons for his hardihood. My 
own joints should have stood a strain or two ere I 

/ 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


259 


surrendered sucli sparklers as these. — And now, 
Sir Archibald, may your trusty follower ask you 
how this booty is to be divided between the Duke 
and his Governor, according to the most approved 
rules of garrison towns ? ” 

“ Faith, we will suppose the garrison stormed, 
Kilian; and in a storm, thou know’st, the first 
finder takes all — with due consideration always 
of his trusty followers. " 

“ As myself, for example, ” said Kilian. 

“ Ay, and myself, for example, ” answered a 
voice, which sounded like the echo of the esquire’s 
words, from the remote corner of the ancient 
apartment. 

“ ’Sdeath ! we are overheard, ” exclaimed the 
Governor, starting and laying his hand on his 
dagger. 

“ Only by a faithful follower, as the worthy 
esquire observes,” said the executioner, moving 
slowly forward. 

“ Villain, how didst thou dare watch me ? ” 
said Sir Archibald de Hagenbach. 

“ Trouble not yourself for that, sir, ” said Kilian. 

“ Honest Steinernherz has no tongue to speak, or 
ear to hear, save according to your pleasure. In- 
deed, we must shortly have taken him into our 
counsels, seeing these men must be dealt upon, 
and that speedily.” 

“ Indeed ! ” said De Hagenbach ; “ I had thought 
they might be spared. ” 

“ To tell the Duke of Burgundy how the Gover- 
nor of La Ferette accounts to his treasurer for the 
duties and forfeitures at his custom-house ? ” de- 
manded Kilian. 

“ ’Tis true, ” said the Knight ; “ dead men have 


26 o 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


neither teeth nor tongue — they bite not, and they 
tell no tales. Thou wilt take order with them, 
Scharfgerichter. ” 

“ I will, my lord, ” answered the executioner, 
“ on condition that, if this must be in the way of 
dungeon execution, which I call cellar practice, 
my privilege to claim nobility shall be saved and 
reserved to me, and the execution shall be declared 
to be as effectual to my claim, as it might have 
been if the blow had been dealt in broad daylight, 
with my honourable blade of office. ” 

De Hagenbach stared at the executioner, as not 
understanding what he meant; on which Kilian 
took occasion to explain, that the Scharfgerichter 
was strongly impressed, from the free and daunt- 
less conduct of the elder prisoner, that he was a 
man of noble blood, from whose decapitation he 
would himself derive all the advantages proposed 
to the headsman who should execute his function 
on nine men of illustrious extraction. 

“ He may be right, ” said Sir Archibald, “ for 
here is a slip of parchment, commending the bearer 
of this carcanet to the Duke, desiring him to 
accept it as a true token from one well known to 
him, and to give the bearer full credence in all 
that he should say on the part of those by whom 
he is sent. * 

“ By whom is the note signed, if I may make 
bold to ask ? ” said Kilian. 

“ There- is no name — the Duke must be sup- 
posed to collect that information from the gems, or 
perhaps the handwriting. ” 

“ On neither of which he is likely to have a 
speedy opportunity of exercising his ingenuity,” 
said Kilian. 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


261 


De Hagenbach looked at the diamonds, and 
smiled darkly. The Scharfgerichter, encouraged 
by the familiarity into which he had in a manner 
forced himself, returned to his plea, and insisted 
on the nobility of the supposed merchant. Such 
a trust, and such a letter of unlimited credence, 
could never, he contended, be intrusted to a man 
meanly born . 1 

“ Thou art deceived, thou fool,” said the Knight; 
“ kings now use the lowest tools to do their dearest 
offices. Louis has set the example of putting his 
barber, and the valets of his chamber, to do the 
work formerly intrusted to dukes and peers; and 
other monarchs begin to think that it is better, in 
choosing their agents for important affairs, to judge 
rather by the quality of men's brains than that of 
their blood. And as for the stately look and bold 
bearing which distinguish yonder fellow in the 
eyes of cravens like thee, it belongs to his coun- 
try, not his rank. Thou think’st it is in England 
as in Flanders, where a city-bred burgher of Ghent, 
Liege, or Ypres is as distinct an animal from a 
knight of Hainault as a Flanders wagon horse from 
a Spanish jennet. But thou art deceived. Eng- 
land has many a merchant as haughty of heart, 
and as prompt of hand, as any noble-born son of 
her rich bosom. But be not dejected, thou foolish 
man ; do thy business well on this merchant, and 
we shall presently have on our hands the Landam- 
man of Unterwalden, who, though a churl by his 
choice, is yet a nobleman by blood, and shall, by 


1 Louis XI. was probably the first king of France who flung 
aside all affectation of choosing his ministers from among the 
nobility. He often placed men of mean birth in situations of the 
highest trust. 


262 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


his well-deserved death, aid thee to get rid of the 
peasant slough which thou art so weary of. ” 

“ Were not your excellency better adjourn these 
men’s fate,” said Kilian, “ till you hear something 
of them from the Swiss prisoners whom we shall 
presently have in our power ? ” 

“Be it as you will,” said Hagenbach, waving 
his hand, as if putting aside some disagreeable 
task. “ But let all be finished ere I hear of it 
again. ” 

The stern satellites bowed obedience, and the 
deadly conclave broke up; their chief carefully 
securing the valuable gems, which he was willing 
to purchase at the expense of treachery to the 
sovereign in whose employment he had enlisted 
himself, as well as the blood of two innocent men. 
Yet, with a weakness of mind not uncommon to 
great criminals, he shrank from the thoughts of 
his own baseness and cruelty, and endeavoured to 
banish the feeling of dishonour from his mind, by 
devolving the immediate execution of his villany 
upon his subordinate agents. 


CHAPTER XV. 


And this place our forefathers built for man ! 

Old Play. 

The dungeon in which the younger Philipson was 
immured was one of those gloomy caverns which 
cry shame on the inhumanity of our ancestors. 
They seem to have been almost insensible to the 
distinction betwixt innocence and guilt, as the 
consequences of mere accusation must have been 
far more severe in those days than is in our own 
that species of imprisonment which is adjudged 
as an express punishment for crime. 

The cell of Arthur Philipson was of considerable 
length, hut dark and narrow, and dug out of the 
solid rock upon which the tower was founded. 
A small lamp was allowed him, not, however, 
without some grumbling, but his arms were still 
kept bound ; and when he asked for a draught of 
water, one of the grim satellites by whom he was 
thrust into this cell answered surlily that he might 
endure his thirst for all the time his life was 
likely to last — a gloomy response, which augured 
that his privations would continue as long as his 
life, yet neither be of long duration. By the dim 
lamp he had groped his way to a bench, or rough 
seat, cut in the rock; and, as his eyes got gra- 
dually accustomed to the obscurity of the region 
in which he was immured, he became aware of a 


264 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


ghastly cleft in the floor of his dungeon, somewhat 
resembling the opening of a draw-well, but irregu- 
lar in its aperture, and apparently the mouth of a 
gulf of Nature’s conformation, slightly assisted by 
the labour of human art. 

“Here, then, is my death -bed,” he said, “and 
that gulf perhaps the grave which yawns for my 
remains! Nay, I have heard of prisoners being 
plunged into such horrid abysses while they were 
yet alive, to die at leisure, crushed with wounds, 
their groans unheard, and their fate unpitied ! ” 

He approached his head to the dismal cavity, 
and heard, as at a great depth, the sound of a 
sullen and, as it seemed, subterranean stream. 
The sunless waves appeared murmuring for their 
victim. Death is dreadful at all ages ; but in the 
first springtide of youth, with all the feelings of 
enjoyment afloat, and eager for gratification, to be 
snatched forcibly from the banquet to which the 
individual has but just sat down, is peculiarly 
appalling, even when the change comes in the 
ordinary course of nature. But to sit, like young 
Philipson, on the brink of the subterranean abyss, 
and ruminate in horrid doubt concerning the mode 
in which death was to be inflicted, was a situation 
which might break the spirit of the boldest ; and 
the unfortunate captive was wholly unable to sup- 
press the natural tears that flowed from his eyes in 
torrents, and which his bound arms did not permit 
him to wipe away. We have already noticed that, 
although a gallant young man in aught of danger 
which was to be faced and overcome by active 
exertion, the youth was strongly imaginative, and 
sensitive to a powerful extent to all those ex- 
aggerations which, in a situation of helpless 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 265 

uncertainty, fancy lends to distract the soul of him 
who must passively expect an approaching evil. 

Yet the feelings of Arthur Philipson were not 
selfish. They reverted to his father, whose just 
and noble character was as much formed to attract 
veneration, as his unceasing paternal care and 
affection to excite love and gratitude. He too was 
in the hands of remorseless villains, who were 
determined to conceal robbery by secret murder — 
he too, undaunted in so many dangers, resolute in 
so many encounters, lay bound and defenceless, 
exposed to the dagger of the meanest stabber. 
Arthur remembered, too, the giddy peak of the 
rock near Geierstein, and the grim vulture which 
claimed him as its prey. Here was no angel to 
burst through the mist, and marshal him on a 
path of safety — here the darkness was subterra- 
nean and eternal, saving when the captive should 
behold the knife of the ruffian flash against the 
lamp which lent him light to aim the fatal blow. 
This agony of mind lasted until the feelings of the 
unhappy prisoner arose to ecstasy. He started up, 
and struggled so hard to free himself of his bonds, 
that it seemed they should have fallen from him 
as from the arms of the mighty Nazarene. But 
the cords were of too firm a texture ; and after a 
violent and unavailing struggle, in which the 
ligatures seemed to enter his flesh, the prisoner 
lost his balance, and, while the feeling thrilled 
through him that he was tumbling backward into 
the subterranean abyss, he fell to the ground with 
great force. 

Fortunately he escaped the danger which in his 
agony he apprehended, but so narrowly, that his 
head struck against the low and broken fence with 


266 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


which the mouth of the horrible pit was partly 
surrounded. Here he lay stunned and motionless, 
and, as the lamp was extinguished in his fall, 
immersed in absolute and total darkness. He was 
recalled to sensation by a jarring noise. 

“ They come — they come — the murderers ! Oh, 
Lady of Mercy ! and oh, gracious Heaven, forgive 
my transgressions ! ” 

He looked up, and observed, with dazzled eyes, 
that a dark form approached him, with a knife in 
one hand and a torch in the other. He might 
well have seemed the man who was to do the last 
deed upon the unhappy prisoner, if he had come 
alone. But he came not alone — his torch gleamed 
upon the white dress of a female, which was so 
much illuminated by it that Arthur could dis- 
cover a form, and had even a glimpse of features, 
never to be forgotten, though now seen under cir- 
cumstances least of all to be expected. The pri- 
soner’s unutterable astonishment impressed him 
with a degree of awe which overcame even his 
personal fear — “ Can these things be ? ” was his 
muttered reflection. “ Has she really the power of 
an elementary spirit? Has she conjured up this 
earthlike and dark demon to concur with her in 
my deliverance ? ” 

It appeared as if his guess were real; for the 
figure in black, giving the light to Anne of Geier- 
stein, or at least the form which bore her perfect 
resemblance, stooped over the prisoner, and cut the 
cord that bound his arms, with so much despatch 
that it seemed as if it fell from his person at a 
touch. Arthur’s first attempt to arise was unsuc- 
cessful, and a second time it was the hand of Anne 
of Geierstein — a living hand, sensible to touch as 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


2 67 


to sight — which aided to raise and to support him, 
as it had formerly done when the tormented waters 
of the river thundered at their feet. Her touch 
produced an effect far beyond that of the slight 
personal aid which the maiden’s strength could 
have rendered. Courage was restored to his heart, 
vigour and animation to his benumbed and bruised 
limbs ; such influence does the human mind, when 
excited to energy, possess over the infirmities of 
the human body. He was about to address Anne 
in accents of the deepest gratitude. But the 
accents died away on his tongue, when the myste- 
rious female, laying her finger on her lips, made 
him a sign to be silent, and at the same time 
beckoned him to follow her. He obeyed in silent 
amazement. They passed the entrance of the 
melancholy dungeon, and through one or two short 
but intricate passages, which, cut out of the rock 
in some places, and built in others with hewn 
stone of the same kind, probably led to holds 
similar to that in which Arthur was so lately a 
captive. 

The recollection that his father might be im- 
mured in some such horrid cell as he himself had 
just quitted, induced Arthur to pause as they 
reached the bottom of a small winding staircase, 
which conducted apparently from this region of 
the building. 

“ Come, ” he said, “ dearest Anne, lead me to his 
deliverance ! I must not leave my father. ” 

She shook her head impatiently, and beckoned 
him on. 

“ If your power extends not to save my father’s 
life, I will remain and save him or die ! — Anne, 
dearest Anne ” 


268 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


She answered not, but her companion replied, 
in a deep voice, not unsuitable to his appearance, 
“ Speak, young man, to those who are permitted to 
answer you ; or rather, be silent, and listen to my 
instructions, which direct to the only course which 
can bring thy father to freedom and safety. ” 

They ascended the stair, Anne of Geierstein 
going first; while Arthur, who followed close 
behind, could not help thinking that her form 
gave existence to a part of the light which her 
garment reflected from the torch. This was pro- 
bably the effect of the superstitious belief im- 
pressed on his mind by Rudolph’s tale respecting 
her mother, and which was confirmed by her sud- 
den appearance in a place and situation where she 
was so little to have been expected. He had not 
much time, however, to speculate upon her appear- 
ance or demeanour, for, mounting the stair with a 
lighter pace than he was able at the time to follow 
closely, she was no longer to be seen when he 
reached the landing-place. But whether she had 
melted into the air, or turned aside into some 
other passage, he was not permitted a moment’s 
leisure to examine. 

“ Here lies your way, ” said his sable guide ; and 
at the same time dashing out the light, and seizing 
Philipson by the arm, he led him along a dark 
gallery of considerable length. The young man 
was not without some momentary misgivings, 
while he recollected the ominous looks of his 
conductor, and that he was armed with a dagger, 
or knife, which he could plunge of a sudden into 
his bosom. But he could not bring himself to 
dread treachery from any one whom he had seen 
in company with Anne of Geierstein ; and in his 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


269 

heart he demanded her pardon for £he fear which 
had flashed across him, and resigned himself to 
the guidance of his companion, who advanced with 
hasty but light footsteps, and cautioned him by a 
whisper to do the same. 

“ Our journey,” he at length said, “ ends here.” 

As he spoke, a door gave way, and admitted 
them into a gloomy Gothic apartment, furnished 
with large oaken presses, apparently filled with 
books and manuscripts. As Arthur looked round, 
with eyes dazzled with the sudden gleam of day- 
light from which he had been for some time 
excluded, the door by which they had entered dis- 
appeared. This, however, did not greatly surprise 
him, who judged that, being formed in appearance 
to correspond with the presses around the entrance 
which they had used, it could not when shut be 
distinguished from them ; a device sometimes then 
practised, as indeed it often is at the present day. 
He had now a full view of his deliverer, who, 
when seen by daylight, showed only the vest- 
ments and features of a clergyman, without any 
of that expression of supernatural horror which 
the partial light and the melancholy appearance 
of all in the dungeon had combined to impress on 
him. 

Young Philipson once more breathed with free- 
dom, as one awakened from a hideous dream ; and 
the supernatural qualities with which his imagi- 
nation had invested Anne of Geierstein having 
begun to vanish, he addressed his deliverer thus : 
“ That I may testify my thanks, holy father, where 
they are so especially due, let me inquire of you if 
Anne of Geierstein ” 

“ Speak of that which pertains to your house and 


270 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


family,” answered the priest, as briefly as before. 
“ Hast thou so soon forgot thy father’s danger ? ” 

“ By heavens, no ! ” replied the youth. “ Tell 
me hut how to act for his deliverance, and thou 
shalt see how a son can fight for a parent ! ” 

“ It is well, for it is needful, ” said the priest. 
“ Don thou this vestment, and follow me. ” 

The vestment presented was the gown and hood 
of a novice. 

“ Draw the cowl over thy face, ” said the priest, 
“ and return no answer to any man who meets 
thee. I will say thou art under a vow. — May 
Heaven forgive the unworthy tyrant who imposes 
on us the necessity of such profane dissimulation ! 
Follow me close and near — beware that you speak 
not. ” 

The business of disguise was soon accomplished, 
and the Priest of St. Paul’s, for such he was, 
moving on, Arthur followed him a pace or two 
behind, assuming as well as he could the modest 
step and humble demeanour of a spiritual novice. 
On leaving the library, or study, and descending 
a short stair, he found himself in the street of 
Brisach. Irresistibly tempted to look back, he 
had only time, however, to see that the house he 
had left was a very small building of a Gothic 
character, on the one side of which rose Ahe 
church of St. Paul’s, and on the other the stern 
black gate -house, or entrance-tower. 

“Follow me, Melchior,” said the deep voice of 
the priest; and his keen eyes were at the same 
time fixed upon the supposed novice, with a look 
which instantly recalled Arthur to a sense of his 
situation. 

They passed along, nobody noticing them, unless 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


271 


to greet the priest with a silent obeisance, or mut- 
tered phrase of salutation, until, having nearly 
gained the middle of the village, the guide turned 
abruptly off from the street, and, moving northward 
by a short lane, reached a flight of steps, which, as 
usual in fortified towns, led to the banquette, or 
walk behind the parapet, which was of the old 
Gothic fashion, flanked with towers from space to 
space, of different forms and various heights at 
different angles. 

There were sentinels on the walls ; but the watch, 
as it seemed, was kept not by regular soldiers, but 
by burghers, with spears, or swords, in their hands. 
The first whom they passed said to the priest, 
in a half-whispered tone, “ Holds our purpose ? ” 

“ It holds,” replied the Priest of St. Paul’s. — 
“ Benedicite ! ” 

“ Deo Gratias ! ” replied the armed citizen, and 
continued his walk upon the battlements. 

The other sentinels seemed to avoid them; for 
they disappeared when they came near, or passed 
them without looking, or seeming to observe them. 
At last their walk brought them to an ancient 
turret, which raised its head above the wall, and 
in which there was a small door opening from the 
battlement. It was in a corner, distinct from and 
uncommanded by any of the angles of the fortifi- 
cation. In a well-guarded fortress, such a point 
ought to have had a sentinel for its special protec- 
tion, but no one was there upon duty. 

“Now mark me,” said the priest, “for your 
father’s life, and, it may be, that of many a man 
besides, depends upon your attention, and no less 
upon your despatch. — You can run? — you can 
leap ? ” 


272 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


“ I feel no weariness, father, since you freed me, ” 
answered Arthur ; “ and the dun deer that I have 
often chased shall not heat me in such a wager. ” 

“ Observe then, ” replied the Black Priest of St. 
Paul’s, “ this turret contains a staircase, which 
descends to a small sallyport. I will give you 
entrance to it — The sallyport is barred on the 
inside, hut not locked. It will give you access 
to the moat, which is almost entirely dry. On 
crossing it, you will find yourself in the circuit of 
the outer barriers. You may see sentinels, but 
they will not see you — speak not to them, but 
make your way over the palisade as you can. I 
trust you can climb over an undefended rampart ? ” 

“ I have surmounted a defended one, ” said 
Arthur. “ What is my next charge ? — All this is 
easy. ” 

“ You will see a species of thicket, or stretch of 
low hushes — make for it with all speed. When 
you are there, turn to the eastward ; but beware, 
while holding that course, that you are not seen 
by the Burgundian Free Companions, who are on 
watch on that part of the walls. A volley of 
arrows, and the sally of a body of cavalry in pur- 
suit, will be the consequence, if they get sight of 
you ; and their eyes are those of the eagle, that spy 
the carnage afar off. ” 

“ I will be heedful, ” said the young Englishman. 

“ You will find, ” continued the priest, “ upon 
the outer side of the thicket a path, or rather a 
sheep-track, which, sweeping at some distance 
from the walls, will conduct you at last into the 
road leading from Brisach to Bale. Hasten for- 
ward to meet the Swiss, who are advancing. Tell 
them your father’s hours are counted, and that 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


273 


they must press on if they would save him ; and 
say to Rudolph Donnerhugel, in especial, that the 
Black Priest of St. Paul’s waits to bestow upon 
him his blessing at the northern sallyport. Dost 
thou understand me ? ” 

“ Perfectly, ” answered the young man. 

The Priest of St. Paul’s then pushed open the 
low-browed gate of the turret, and Arthur was 
about to precipitate himself down the stair which 
opened before him. 

“ Stay yet a moment, ” said the priest, “ and doff 
the novice’s habit, which can only encumber 
thee. ” 

Arthur in a trice threw it from him, and was 
again about to start. 

“ Stay yet a moment longer, ” continued the 
Black Priest. “ This gown may be a tell-tale — 
Stay, therefore, and help me to pull off my upper 
garment. ” 

Inwardly glowing with impatience, Arthur yet 
saw the necessity of obeying his guide ; and when 
he had pulled the long and loose upper vestment 
from the old man, he stood before him in a cassock 
of black serge, befitting his order and profession, 
but begirt, not with a suitable sash such as clergy- 
men wear, but with a most uncanonical buff-belt, 
supporting a short two-edged sword, calculated 
alike to stab and to smite. 

“Give me now the novice’s habit,” said the 
venerable father, “ and over that I will put the 
priestly vestment. Since for the present I have 
some tokens of the laity about me, it is fitting it 
should be covered with a double portion of the 
clerical habit. ” 

As he spoke thus he smiled grimly; and his 

VOL. I. — 18 


274 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


smile had something more frightful and withering 
than the stern frown, which suited better with his 
features, and was their usual expression. 

“ And now, ” said he, “ what does the fool tarry 
for, when life and death are in his speed ? ” 

The young messenger waited not a second hint, 
but at once descended the stairs, as if it had been 
by a single step, found the portal, as the priest 
had said, only secured by bars on the inside, offer- 
ing little resistance save from their rusted state, 
which made it difficult to draw them. Arthur 
succeeded, however, and found himself at the side 
of the moat, which presented a green and marshy 
appearance. Without stopping to examine whether 
it was deep or shallow, and almost without being 
sensible of the tenacity of the morass, the young 
Englishman forced his way through it, and attained 
the opposite side, without attracting the attention 
of two worthy burghers of Brisach, who were the 
guardians of the barriers. One of them indeed 
was deeply employed in the perusal of some pro- 
fane chronicle, or religious legend ; the other was 
as anxiously engaged in examining the margin of 
the moat, in search of eels, perhaps, or frogs, for 
he wore over his shoulder a scrip for securing some 
such amphibious booty. 

Seeing that, as the priest foretold, he had nothing 
to apprehend from the vigilance of the sentinels, 
Arthur dashed at the palisade, in hope to catch 
hold of the top of the stockade, and so to clear it 
by one bold leap. He overrated his powers of 
activity, however, or they were diminished by his 
recent bonds and imprisonment. He fell lightly 
backward on the ground, and, as he got to his feet, 
became aware of the presence of a soldier, in yellow 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


2 75 


and blue, the livery of De Hagenbach, who came 
running towards him, crying to the slothful and 
unobservant sentinels, “ Alarm ! — alarm ! — you 
lazy swine! Stop the dog, or you are both dead 
men. ” 

The fisherman, who was on the farther side, laid 
down his eel-spear, drew his sword, and, flourish- 
ing it over his head, advanced towards Philipson 
with very moderate haste. The student was yet 
more unfortunate, for, in his hurry to fold up his 
book and attend to his duty, he contrived to 
throw himself (inadvertently, doubtless) full in 
the soldier’s way. The latter, who was running at 
top speed, encountered the burgher with a severe 
shock which threw both down; but the citizen, 
being a solid and substantial man, lay still where 
he fell, while the other, less weighty, and pro- 
bably less prepared for the collision, lost his 
balance and the command of his limbs at once, 
and, rolling over the edge of the moat, was im- 
mersed in the mud and marsh. The fisher and the 
student went with deliberate speed to assist the 
unexpected and unwelcome partner of their watch ; 
while Arthur, stimulated by the imminent sense 
of danger, sprang at the barrier with more address 
••and vigour than before, and, succeeding in his 
leap, made, as he had been directed, with his 
utmost speed for the covert of the adjacent bushes. 
He reached them without hearing any alarm from 
the walls. But he was conscious that his situa- 
tion had become extremely precarious, since his 
escape from the town was known to one man at 
least who would not fail to give the alarm in case 
he was able to extricate himself from the marsh — 
a feat, however, in which it seemed to Arthur 


276 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


that the armed citizens were likely to prove rather 
his apparent than actual assistants. While such 
thoughts shot across his mind, they served to aug- 
ment his natural speed of foot, so that in less 
space than could have been thought possible, he 
reached the thinner extremity of the thicket, 
whence, as intimated by the Black Priest, he could 
see the eastern tower and the adjoining battlements 
of the town — 

With hostile faces throng’d, and fiery arms. 

It required, at the same time, some address on 
the part of the fugitive to keep so much under 
shelter as to prevent himself from being seen in 
his turn by those whom he saw so plainly. He 
therefore expected every moment to hear a bugle 
wind, or to behold that bustle and commotion 
among the defenders which might prognosticate a 
sally. Neither, however, took place, and heed- 
fully observing the footpath, or track, which the 
priest had pointed out to him, young Philipson 
wheeled his course out of sight of the guarded 
towers, and soon falling into the public and fre- 
quented road, by which his father and he had 
approached the town in the morning, he had the 
happiness, by the dust and flash of arms, to see 
a small body of armed men advancing towards 
Brisach, whom he justly concluded to be the van 
of the Swiss deputation. 

He soon met the party, which consisted of about 
ten men, with Rudolph Donnerhugel at their head. 
The figure of Philipson, covered with mud, and in 
some places stained with blood (for his fall in the 
dungeon had cost him a slight wound), attracted 
the wonder of every one, who crowded around to 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


2 77 


hear the news. Rudolph alone appeared unmoved. 
Like the visage on the ancient statues of Hercules, 
the physiognomy of the bulky Bernese was large 
and massive, having an air of indifferent and 
almost sullen composure, which did not change 
but in moments of the fiercest agitation. 

He listened without emotion to the breathless 
tale of Arthur Philipson, that his father was in 
prison, and adjudged to death. 

“ And what else did you expect ? ” said the 
Bernese, coldly. “ Were you not warned ? It 
had been easy to have foreseen the misfortune, but 
it may be impossible to prevent it. ” 

“ I own — I own, ” said Arthur, wringing his 
hands, “ that you were wise, and that we were 
foolish. — But oh ! do not think of our folly in the 
moment of our extremity ! Be the gallant and 
generous champion which your Cantons proclaim 
you — give us your aid in this deadly strait ! ” 

“ But how, or in what manner ? ” said Rudolph, 
still hesitating. “ We have dismissed the B&lese, 
who were willing to have given assistance, so 
much did your dutiful example weigh with us. 
We are now scarce above a score of men — how 
can you ask us to attack a garrison town, secured 
by fortifications, and where there are six times our 
number ? ” 

“You have friends within the fortifications,” 
replied Arthur — “lam sure you have. Hark in 
your ear — The Black Priest sent to you — to you, 
Rudolph Donnerhugel of Berne — that he waits to 
give you his blessing at the northern sallyport.” 

“ Ay, doubtless, ” said Rudolph, shaking himself 
free of Arthur’s attempt to engage him in private 
conference, and speaking so that all around might 


278 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


hear him, “there is little doubt on’t; I will find 
a priest at the northern sallyport to confess and 
absolve me, and a block, axe, and headsman to 
strike my throat asunder when he has done. But 
I will scarce put the neck of my father’s son into 
such risk. If they assassinate an English pedlar, 
who has never offended them, what will they do 
with the Bear of Berne, whose fangs and talons 
Archibald de Hagenbach has felt ere now ? " 

Young Philipson at these words clasped his 
hands together, and held them up to Heaven, as 
one who abandons hope, excepting thence. The 
tears started to his eyes, and, clenching his hands 
and setting his teeth, he turned his back abruptly 
upon the Swiss. 

“ What means this passion ? ” said Rudolph. 

“ Whither would you now ? ” 

“ To rescue my father, or perish with him, ” said 
Arthur ; and was about to run wildly back to La 
Ferette, when a strong but kindly grasp detained 
him. 

“ Tarry a little till I tie my garter, ” said Sigis- 
mund Biederman, “ and I will go with you, King 
Arthur. ” 

“ You ? oaf ! ” exclaimed Rudolph. “ You ? — 
and without orders ? ” 

“ Why, look you, cousin Rudolph, ” said the 
youth, continuing, with great composure, to fasten 
his garter, which, after the fashion of the time, 
was somewhat intricately secured — “ you are 
always telling us that we are Swiss and freemen ; 
and what is the advantage of being a freeman, if 
one is not at liberty to do what he has a mind ? 
You are my Hauptman, look you, so long as it 
pleases me, and no longer. ” 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


279 


“ And why shouldst thou desert me now, thou 
fool ? Why at this minute, of all other minutes 
in the year ? ” demanded the Bernese. 

“ Look you, ” replied the insubordinate follower, 
“ I have hunted with Arthur for this month past, 
and I love him — he never called me fool or idiot, 
because my thoughts came slower, maybe, and 
something duller, than those of other folk. And 
I love his father — the old man gave me this 
baldrick and this horn, which I warrant cost many 
a kreutzer. He told me, too, not to be discouraged, 
for that it was better to think justly than to 
think fast, and that I had sense enough for the 
one if not for the other. And the kind old man 
is now in Hagenbach’s butcher-shambles! — But 
we will free him, Arthur, if two men may. Thou 
shalt see me fight, while steel blade and ashen 
shaft will hold together. ” 

So saying, he shook in the air his enormous 
partisan, which quivered in his grasp like a slip 
of willow. Indeed, if Iniquity was to be struck 
down like an ox, there was not one in that chosen 
band more likely to perform the feat than Sigis- 
mund ; for though somewhat shorter in stature than 
his brethren, and of a less animated spirit, yet 
his breadth of shoulders and strength of muscles 
were enormous, and if thoroughly aroused and dis- 
posed for the contest, which was very rarely the 
case, perhaps Rudolph himself might, as far as sheer 
force went, have had difficulty in matching him. 

Truth of sentiment and energy of expression 
always produce an effect on natural and generous 
characters. Several of the youths around began 
to exclaim that Sigismund said well; that if the 
old man had put himself in danger, it was because 


28 o 


ANNE OF GEIER STEIN. 


he thought more of the success of their negotiation 
than of his own safety, and had taken himself 
from under their protection, rather than involve 
them in quarrels on his account. “ We are the 
more bound, ” they said, “ to see him unscathed ; 
and we will do so. * 

“ Peace! all you wiseacres,” said Rudolph, look- 
ing round with an air of superiority ; “ and you, 
Arthur of England, pass on to the Landamman, 
who is close behind. You know he is our chief 
commander, he is no less your father’s sincere 
friend, and, whatever he may determine in your 
father’s favour, you will find most ready executors 
of his pleasure in all of us. ” 

His companions appeared to concur in this 
advice, and young Philipson saw- that his own 
compliance with the recommendation was indis- 
pensable. Indeed, although he still suspected that 
the Bernese, by his various intrigues, as well with 
the Swiss youth as with those of Bale, and, as 
might be inferred from the Priest of St. Paul’s, 
by communication even within the town of La 
Ferette, possessed the greater power of assisting 
him at such a conjuncture ; yet he trusted far more 
in the simple candour and perfect faith of Arnold 
Biederman, and pressed forward to tell to him his 
mournful tale, and crave his assistance. 

From the top of a bank which he reached in a 
few minutes after he parted from Rudolph and the 
advanced guard, he saw beneath him the venerable 
Landamman and his associates, attended by a few 
of the youths, who no longer were dispersed upon 
the flanks of the party, but attended on them 
closely, and in military array, as men prepared to 
repel any sudden attack. 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 281 

Behind came a mule or two with baggage, 
together with the animals which, in the ordinary 
course of their march, supported Anne of Geierstein 
and her attendant. Both were occupied by female 
figures as usual, and, to the best of Arthur’s ken, 
the foremost had the well-known dress of .Anne, 
from the grey mantle to a small heron’s plume, 
which, since entering Germany, she had worn in 
compliance with the custom of the country, and in 
evidence of her rank as a maiden of birth and dis- 
tinction. Yet, if the youth’s eyes brought him 
true tidings at present, what was the character of 
their former information, when, scarce more than 
half an hour since, they had beheld, in the subter- 
ranean dungeon of Brisach, the same form which 
they now rested upon, in circumstances so very 
different! The feeling excited by this thought 
was powerful, but it was momentary, like the 
lightning which blazes through a midnight sky, 
which is but just seen ere it vanishes into dark- 
ness. Or, rather, the wonder excited by this mar- 
vellous incident only maintained its ground in his 
thoughts by allying itself with the anxiety for 
his father’s safety, which was their predominant 
occupation. 

“ If there be indeed a spirit, ” he said, “ which 
wears that beautiful form, it must be beneficent 
as well as lovely, and will extend to my far more 
deserving father the protection which his son has 
twice experienced. ” 

But ere he had time to prosecute such a thought 
further, he had met the Landamman and his party. 
Here his appearance and his condition excited 
the same surprise as they had formerly occasioned 
to Rudolph and the vanguard. To the repeated 


282 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


interrogatories of the Landamman he gave a brief 
account of his own imprisonment, and of his 
escape, of which he suffered the whole glory to 
rest with the Black Priest of St. Paul’s, without 
mentioning one word of the more interesting female 
apparition, by which he had been attended and 
assisted in his charitable task. On another point 
also Arthur was silent. He saw no propriety in 
communicating to Arnold Biederman the message 
which the priest had addressed to Rudolph’s ear 
alone. Whether good should come of it or no, he 
held sacred the obligation of silence imposed upon 
him by a man from whom he had just received the 
most important assistance. 

The Landamman was struck dumb for a moment 
with sorrow and surprise at the news which he 
heard. The elder Philipson had gained his re- 
spect, as well by the purity and steadiness of the 
principles which he expressed, as by the extent 
and depth of his information, which was peculiarly 
valuable and interesting to the Switzer, who felt 
his admirable judgment considerably fettered for 
want of that knowledge of countries, times, and 
manners, with which his English friend often 
supplied him. 

“ Let us press forward, ” he said to the Banneret 
of Berne and the other deputies ; “ let us offer our 
mediation betwixt the tyrant De Hagenbach and 
our friend, whose life is in danger. He must 
listen to us, for I know his master expects to see 
this Philipson at his court. The old man hinted 
to me so much. As we are possessed of such a 
secret, Archibald de Hagenbach will not dare to 
brave our vengeance, since we might easily send 
to Duke Charles information how the Governor of 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


283 


La Ferette abuses his power, in matters where not 
only the Swiss but where the Duke himself is 
concerned. *’ 

“ Under your reverend favour, my worthy sir, ” 
answered the Banneret of Berne, “ we are Swiss 
Deputies, and go to represent the injuries of 
Switzerland alone. If we embroil ourselves with 
the quarrels of strangers, we . shall find it more 
difficult to settle advantageously those of our own 
country ; and if the Duke should, by this villany 
done upon English merchants, bring upon him the 
resentment of the English monarch, such breach 
will only render it more a matter of peremptory 
necessity for him to make a treaty advantageous 
to the Swiss Cantons. ” 

There was so much worldly policy in this advice, 
that Adam Zimmerman of Soleure instantly ex- 
pressed his assent, with the additional argument, 
that their brother Biederman had told them scarce 
two hours before how these English merchants 
had, by his advice and their own free desire, 
parted company with them that morning, on pur- 
pose that they might not involve the Deputies in 
the quarrels which might be raised by the Gover- 
nor’s exactions on his merchandise. 

“Now what advantage,” he said, “shall we 
derive from this same parting of company, sup- 
posing, as my brother seems to urge, we are still 
to consider this Englishman’s interest as if he 
were our fellow-traveller, and under our especial 
protection ? ” 

This personal reasoning pinched the Landamman 
somewhat closely, for he had but a short while 
before descanted on the generosity of the elder 
Philipson, who had freely exposed himself to 


284 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


danger, rather than that he should embarrass their 
negotiation by remaining one of their company; 
and it completely shook the fealty of the white- 
bearded Nicholas Bonstetten, whose eyes wandered 
from the face of Zimmerman, which expressed 
triumphant confidence in his argument, to that of 
his friend the Landamman, which was rather more 
embarrassed than usual. 

“ Brethren, ” said Arnold at length with firm- 
ness and animation, “ I erred in priding myself 
upon the worldly policy which I taught to you 
this morning. This man is not of our country, 
doubtless, but he is of our blood — a copy of the 
common Creator’s image — and the more worthy of 
being called so, as he is a man of integrity and 
worth. We might not, without grievous sin, pass 
such a person, being in danger, without affording 
him relief, even if he lay accidentally by the side 
of our path; much less should we abandon him 
if the danger has been incurred in our own cause, 
and that we might escape the net in which he is 
himself caught. Be not, therefore, downcast — 
We do God’s will in succouring an oppressed man. 
If we succeed by mild means, as I trust we shall, 
we do a good action at a cheap rate ; — if not, God 
can assert the cause of humanity by the hands of 
few as well as of many. ” 

“ If such is your opinion, ” said the Bannerman 
of Berne, “ not a man here will shrink from you. 
For me, I pleaded against my own inclinations 
when I advised you to avoid a breach with the 
Burgundian. But as a soldier, I must needs say, 

I would rather fight the garrison, were they double 
the number they talk of, in a fair field, than un- 
dertake to storm their defences. ” 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


285 


“ Nay, ” said the Landamman, “ I sincerely hope 
we shall both enter and depart from the town of 
Brisach, without deviating from the pacific cha- 
racter with which our mission from the Diet 
invests us. ” 


CHAPTER XYI. 


For Somerset, off with his guilty head ! 

3d Part of Henry VI. 

The Governor of La Ferette stood on the battle- 
ments of the eastern entrance-tower of his fortress, 
and looked out on the road to Bale, when first the 
vanguard of the Swiss mission, then the centre 
and rear, appeared in the distance. At the same 
moment the van halting, the main body closed 
with it, while the females and baggage, and mules 
in the rear, moved in their turn up to the main 
body, and the whole were united in one group. 

A messenger then stepped forth, and winded one 
of those tremendous horns, the spoils of the wild- 
bulls, so numerous in the Canton of Uri, that they 
are supposed to have given rise to its name. 

“ They demand admittance, " said the esquire. 

“ They shall have it, ” answered Sir Archibald 
de Hagenbach. “ Marry, how they may pass out 
again, is another and a deeper question. ” 

“ Think yet a moment, noble sir, ” continued the 
esquire. “ Bethink you, these Switzers are very 
fiends in fight, and have, besides, no booty to 
repay the conquest — some paltry chains of good 
copper, perchance, or adulterated silver. You 
have knocked out the marrow — do not damage 
your teeth by trying to grind the bone. ” 

“ Thou art a fool, Kilian, ” answered De Hagen- 
bach, “ and it may be a coward besides. The 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


28 7 


approach of some score, or at most some score and 
a half, of Swiss partisans, makes thee draw in thy 
horns like a snail at a child’s finger! Mine are 
strong and inflexible as those of the Urus, of 
whom they talk so much, and on which they blow 
so boldly. Keep in mind, thou timid creature, 
that if the Swiss deputies, as they presume to call 
themselves, are permitted to pass free, they carry 
to the Duke stories of merchants bound to his 
court, and fraught with precious commodities, 
specially addressed to his Grace! Charles has 
then at once to endure the presence of the ambas- 
sadors, whom he contemns and hates, and learns 
by them that the Governor of La Ferette, permit- 
ting such to pass, has nevertheless presumed to 
stop those whom he would full gladly see ; for 
what prince would not blithely welcome such a 
casket as that which we have taken from yonder 
strolling English pedlar ? ” 

“ I see not how the assault on these ambassadors 
will mend your excellency’s plea for despoiling 
the Englishmen,” said Kilian. 

“ Because thou art a blind mole, Kilian, ” an- 
swered his chief. “ If Burgundy hears of a ruffle 
between my garrison and the mountain churls, 
whom he scorns, and yet hates, it will drown all 
notice of the two pedlars who have perished in the 
fray. If after-inquiry should come, an hour’s ride 
transports me with my confidants into the Imperial 
dominions, where, though the Emperor be a spirit- 
less fool, the rich prize I have found on these 
islanders will ensure me a good reception. ” 

“I will stick- by your excellency to the last,” 
returned the esquire ; “ and you shall yourself 
witness that, if a fool, I am at least no coward. ” 


288 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


“ I never thought thee such when it came to 
hand-blows, ” said De Hagenbach ; “ but in policy 
thou art timid and irresolute. Hand me mine 
armour, Kilian, and beware thou brace it well. 
The Swiss pikes and swords are no wasp-stings. ” 
“ May your excellency wear it with honour and 
profit, ” said Kilian ; and, according to the duty of 
his office, he buckled upon his principal the com- 
plete panoply of a knight of the empire. “ Your 
purpose of assaulting the Swiss then holds firm, ” 
said Kilian. “ But what pretext will your excel- 
lency assign ? ” 

“ Let me alone, ” said Archibald de Hagenbach, 
“ to take one, or to make one. Do you only have 
Schonfeldt and the soldiers on their stations. 
And remember the words are — ‘Burgundy to the 
Bescue ! ’ When these words are first spoken, let 
the soldiers show themselves, — when repeated, 
let them fall on. And now that I am accoutred, 
away to the churls and admit them. ” 

Kilian bowed and withdrew. 

The bugle of the Switzers had repeatedly emit- 
ted its angry roar, exasperated by the delay of 
nearly half an hour, without an answer from the 
guarded gate of Brisach ; and every blast declared, 
by the prolonged echoes which it awakened, the 
increased impatience of those who summoned the 
town. At length the portcullis arose, the gate 
opened, the drawbridge fell, and Kilian, in the 
equipage of a man-at-arms arrayed for fight, rode 
forth on an ambling palfrey. 

“ What bold men are ye, sirs, who are here in 
arms before the fortress of Brisach, appertaining 
in right and seignorie to the thrice noble Duke 
of Burgundy and Lorraine, and garrisoned for his 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


289 

cause and interest by the excellent Sir Archibald, 
Lord of Hagenbach, Knight of the most Holy 
Boman Empire ? ” 

“ So please you, Sir Esquire, ” said the Landam- 
man, “ for such I conjecture you to be by the 
feather in your bonnet, we are here with no hostile 
intentions ; though armed, as you see, to defend 
us in a perilous journey, where we are something 
unsafe by day, and cannot always repose by night 
in places of security. But our arms have no offen- 
sive purpose ; if they had such, our numbers had 
not been so few as you see them. ” 

“What, then, is your character and purpose?” 
said Kilian, who had learned to use, in his mas- 
ter’s absence, the lordly and insolent tone of the 
Governor himself. 

“ We are Delegates, ” answered the Landamman, 
in a calm and even tone of voice, without appear- 
ing to take offence at, or to observe, the insolent 
demeanour of the esquire, “ from the Free and 
Confederated Cantons of the Swiss States and pro- 
vinces, and from the good town of Soleure, who 
are accredited from our Diet of Legislature to 
travel to the presence of his Grace the Duke of 
Burgundy, on an errand of high importance to 
both countries, and with the hope of establishing 
with your master’s lord — I mean with the noble 
Duke of Burgundy — a sure and steadfast peace, 
upon such terms as shall be to the mutual honour 
and advantage of both countries, and to avert dis- 
putes, and the effusion of Christian blood, which 
may otherwise be shed for want of timely and 
good understanding. ” 

“ Show me your letters of credence, ” said the 
esquire. 

VOL. I. — 19 


290 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


“ Under your forgiveness, Sir Esquire, ” replied 
the Landamman, “ it will be time enough to ex- 
hibit these, when we are admitted to the presence 
of your master the Governor.” 

“ That is as much as to say, wilful will to it. 
It is well, my masters ; and yet you may take this 
advice from Kilian of Kersberg. It is sometimes 
better to reel backwards than to run forwards. — 
My master, and my master’s master, are more tick- 
lish persons than the dealers of Bale, to whom you 
sell your cheeses. Home, honest men, home ! your 
way lies before you, and you are fairly warned. ” 

“We thank thee for thy counsel,” said the 
Landamman, interrupting the Banneret of Berne, 
who had commenced an angry reply, “ supposing 
it kindly meant ; if not, an uncivil jest is like an 
overcharged gun, which recoils on the cannoneer. 
Our road lies onward through Brisach, and onward 
we propose to go, and take such hap as that which 
we may find before us. ” 

“Go onward then, in the devil’s name,” said 
the squire, who had entertained some hope of 
deterring them from pursuing their journey, but 
found himself effectually foiled. 

The Switzers entered the town, and, stopped by 
the barricade of cars which the Governor had 
formed across the street, at about twenty yards 
from the gate, they drew themselves up in military 
order, with their little body formed into three 
lines, the two females and the fathers of the depu- 
tation being in the centre. The little phalanx 
presented a double front, one to each side of the 
street, while the centre line faced so as to move 
forward, and only waited for the removal of the 
barricade in order to do so. But while they stood 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


291 


thus inactive, a knight in complete armour ap- 
peared from a side door of the great tower, under 
the arch of which they had entered into the town. 
His visor was raised, and he walked along the 
front of the little line formed by the Swiss, with 
a stern and frowning aspect. 

“ Who are you, ” he said, “ who have thus far 
intruded yourselves in arms into a Burgundian 
garrison ? ” 

“With your excellency’s leave,” said the Lan- 
damman, “ we are men who come on a peaceful 
errand, though we carry arms for our own defence. 
Deputies we are from the towns of Berne and 
Soleure, the Cantons of Uri, Schwitz, and Unter- 
walden, come to adjust matters of importance with 
the gracious Duke of Burgundy and Lorraine. ” 

“ What towns, what cantons ? ” said the Gover- 
nor of La Ferette. “ I have heard no such names 
among the Free Cities of Germany. — Berne, truly ! 
when became Berne a free state ? ” 

“ Since the twenty -first day of June, ” said 
Arnold. Biederman, “ in the year of grace one thou- 
sand three hundred and thirty-nine, on which day 
the battle of Laupen was fought. ” 

“ Away, vain old man ! ” said the Knight. 
“ Thinkest thou that such idle boasts can avail 
thee here ? We have heard, indeed, of some insur- 
gent villages and communities among the Alps, 
and how they rebelled against the Emperor, and 
by the advantage of fastnesses, ambuscades, and 
lurking-places, how they have murdered some 
knights and gentlemen sent against them by the 
Duke of Austria ; but we little thought that such 
paltry townships and insignificant bands of mu- 
tineers had the insolence to term themselves 


292 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


Free States, and propose to enter into negotiation 
as such with a mighty prince like Charles of 
Burgundy. ” 

“ May it please your excellency,” replied the 
Landamman, with perfect temper, “ your own laws 
of chivalry declare, that if the stronger wrong the 
weaker, or the noble does injury to the less gentle, 
the very act levels distinctions between them, and 
the doer of an injury becomes bound to give con- 
dign satisfaction, of such kind as the wronged 
party shall demand. ” 

“Hence to thy hills, churl!” exclaimed the 
t haughty Knight ; “ there comb thy heard and roast 
thy chestnuts. What! because a few rats and 
mice find retreat among the walls and wainscoting 
of our dwelling-houses, shall we therefore allow 
them to intrude their disgusting presence, and 
their airs of freedom and independence, into our 
personal presence ? No, we will rather crush them 
beneath the heel of our ironshod boots. ” 

“We are not men to he trodden on, ” said Arnold 
Biederman, calmly ; “ those who have attempted it 
have found us stumbling-blocks. Lay, Sir Knight, 
lay aside for an instant this haughty language, 
which can only lead to warfare, and listen to the 
words of peace. Dismiss our comrade, the English 
merchant Philipson, on whom you have this morn- 
ing laid unlawful hands ; let him pay a moderate 
sum for his ransom, and we, who are bound in- 
stantly to the Duke’s presence, will bear a fair 
report to him of his Governor of La Ferette. ” 

“ You will be so generous, will you ! ” said Sir 
Archibald, in a tone of ridicule. “ And what 
pledge shall I have that you will favour me so 
kindly as you propose ? ” 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


293 


“ The word of a man who never broke his pro- 
mise, ” answered the stoical Landamman. 

“ Insolent hind ! ” replied the Knight, “ dost 
thou stipulate ? Thou offer thy paltry word as 
a pledge betwixt the Duke of Burgundy and Ar- 
chibald de Hagenbach ? Know that ye go not to 
Burgundy at all, or you go thither with fetters on 
your hands and halters round your necks. — So 
ho, Burgundy to the Rescue ! ” 

Instantly, as he spoke, the soldiers showed 
themselves before, behind, and around the narrow 
space where the Swiss had drawn themselves up. 
The battlements of the town were lined with men, 
others presented themselves at the doors of each 
house in the street, prepared to sally, and, at the 
windows, prepared to shoot, as well with guns as 
with bows and crossbows. The soldiers who de- 
fended the barricade also started up, and seemed 
ready to dispute the passage in front. The little 
band, encompassed and overmatched, but neither 
startled nor disheartened, stood to their arms. 
The centre rank under the Landamman prepared 
to force their way over the barricade. The two 
fronts stood back to back, ready to dispute the 
street with those that should issue from the 
houses. It could not fail to prove a work of no 
small blood and toil to subdue this handful of 
determined men, even with five times their 
number. Some sense of this, perhaps, made Sir 
Archibald delay giving the signal for onset, when 
suddenly behind arose a cry of, “ Treason, treason ! ” 
A soldier, covered with mud, rushed before the 
Governor, and said, in hurried accents, that, as he 
endeavoured to stop a prisoner who had made his 
escape some short time since, he had been seized 


294 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


by the burghers of the town, and well-nigh drowned 
in the moat. He added, that the citizens were 
even now admitting the enemy into the place. 

“ Kilian, ” said the Knight, “ take two score of 
men — hasten to the northern sallyport ; stab, cut 
down, or throw from the battlements, whomsoever 
you meet in arms, townsmen or strangers. Leave me 
to settle with these peasants by fair means or foul. ” 

But ere Kilian could obey his master’s com- 
mands, a shout arose in the rear, where they cried, 
“ Bale ! Bale ! — Freedom ! freedom ! — The day is 
our own ! ” 

Onward came the youth of Bale, who had not 
been at such a distance but that Rudolph had con- 
trived to recall them — onward came many Swiss 
who had hovered around the embassy, holding 
themselves in readiness for such a piece of ser- 
vice ; and onward came the armed citizens of La 
Ferette, who, compelled to take arms and mount 
guard by the tyranny of De Hagenbach, had 
availed themselves of the opportunity to admit the 
Balese at the sallyport through which Philipson 
had lately made his escape. 

The garrison, somewhat discouraged before by 
the firm aspect of the Swiss, who had held their 
numbers at defiance, were totally disconcerted by 
this new and unexpected insurrection. Most of 
them prepared rather to fly than to fight, and they 
threw themselves in numbers from the walls, as 
the best chance of escaping. Kilian and some 
others, whom pride prevented from flying, and 
despair from asking quarter, fought with fury, and 
were killed on the spot. In the midst of this 
confusion the Landamman kept his own bands 
unmoved, permitting them to take no share in the 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 295 

action, save to repel such violence as was offered 
to them. 

“ Stand fast all ! ” sounded the deep voice of 
Arnold Biederman along their little body. “ Where 
is Rudolph ? — Save lives, but take none. — Why, 
how now, Arthur Philipson ! stand fast, I say. ” 

“ I cannot stand fast, ” said Arthur, who was 
in the act of leaving the ranks. “ I must seek 
my father in the dungeons ; they may be slaying 
him in this confusion while I stand idle here. ” 

“ By our Lady of Einsiedlen, you say well, ” 
answered the Landamman ; “ that I should have 
forgot my noble guest ! I will help thee to search 
for him, Arthur — the affray seems well-nigh 
ended. — Ho, there, Sir Banneret, worthy Adam 
Zimmerman, my good friend Nicholas Bonstetten, 
keep our men standing firm — Have nothing to do 
with this affray, but leave the men of Bale to 
answer their own deeds. I return in a few 
minutes. ” 

So saying, he hurried after Arthur Philipson, 
whose recollection conducted him, with sufficient 
accuracy, to the head of the dungeon stairs. There 
they met an ill-looking man clad in a buff jerkin, 
who bore at his girdle a bunch of rusted keys, 
which intimated the nature of his calling. 

“ Show me the ' prison of the English mer- 
chant, ” said Arthur Philipson, “ or thou diest by 
my hand ! ” 

“ Which of them desire you to see ? ” answered 
the official ; — “ the old man, or the young one ? ” 

“ The old, ” said young Philipson. “ His son 
has escaped thee. ” 

“Enter here then, gentlemen,” said the jailer, 
undoing the spring-bolt of a heavy door. 


296 


ANNE OF GEIEBSTEIN. 


At the upper end of the apartment lay the man 
they came to seek for, who was instantly raised 
from the ground, and loaded with their embraces. 

“ My dear father ! ” — * My worthy guest ! ” said 
his son and friend at the same moment, “ how 
fares it with you ? ” 

“ Well, ” answered the elder Philipson, “ if you, 
my friend, and son, come, as I judge from your 
arms and countenance, as conquerors, and at 
liberty — ill, if you come to share my prison- 
house. ” 

“ Have no fear of that, ” said the Landamman ; 
“ we have been in danger, but are remarkably 
delivered. — Your evil lair has benumbed you. 
Lean on me, my noble guest, and let me assist you 
to better quarters. ” 

Here he was interrupted by a heavy clash, as it 
seemed, of iron, and differing from the distant 
roar of the popular tumult, which they still heard 
from the open street, as men hear the deep voice 
of a remote and tempestuous ocean. 

“ By St. Peter of the fetters ! ” said Arthur, who 
instantly discovered the cause of the sound, “ the 
jailer has cast the door to the staple, or it has 
escaped his grasp. The spring-lock has closed 
upon us, and we cannot be liberated saving from 
the outside. — Ho, jailer dog ! villain ! open the 
door, or thou diest ! " 

“ He is probably out of hearing of your threats, ” 
said the elder Philipson, “ and your cries avail you 
nothing. But are you sure the Swiss are in pos- 
session of the town ? ” 

“We are peaceful occupants of it,” answered 
the Landamman, “ though without a blow given 
on our side. ” 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


297 


“ Why, then, ” said the Englishman, “ your fol- 
lowers will soon find you out. Arthur and I are 
paltry ciphers, and our absence might easily pass 
over unobserved ; but you are too important a 
figure not to be missed and looked after, when 
the sum of your number is taken. ” 

“ I well hope it will prove so, ” said the Lan- 
damman, “ though methinks I show but scurvily, 
shut up here like a cat in a cupboard when he has 
been stealing cream. — Arthur, my brave boy, dost 
thou see no means of shooting back the bolt ? ” 
Arthur, who had been minutely examining the 
lock, replied in the negative ; and added, that they 
must take patience perforce, and arm themselves 
to wait calmly their deliverance, which they could 
do nothing to accelerate. 

Arnold Biederman, however, felt somewhat se- 
verely the neglect of his sons and companions. 

“ All my youths, uncertain whether I am alive 
or dead, are taking the opportunity of my absence, 
doubtless, for pillage and licence — and the politic 
Rudolph, I presume, cares not if I should never 
reappear on the stage — the Banneret, and the 
white-bearded fool Bonstetten, who calls me his 
friend — every neighbour has deserted me — and 
yet they know that I am anxious for the safety of 
the most insignificant of them all, as dearer to me 
than my own. By heavens ! it looks like strata- 
gem ; and shows as if the rash young men desired 
to get rid of a rule too regular and peaceful, to 
be pleasing to those who are eager for war and 
conquest. ” 

The Landamman, fretted out of his usual sere- 
nity of temper, and afraid of the misbehaviour of 
his countrymen in his absence, thus reflected upon 


298 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


his friends and companions, while the distant 
noise soon died away into the most absolute and 
total silence. 

“ What is to do now ? ” said Arthur Philipson. 
“ I trust they will take the opportunity of quiet 
to go through the roll-call, and inquire then who 
are a-missing. ” 

It seemed as if the young man’s wish had some 
efficacy, for he had scarce uttered it before the lock 
was turned, and the door set ajar by some one who 
escaped upstairs from behind it, before those who 
were set at liberty cohld obtain a glance of their 
deliverer. 

“It is the jailer, doubtless, ” said the Landam- 
man, “ who may be apprehensive, as he has some 
reason, that we might prove more incensed at our 
detention in the dungeon, than grateful for our 
deliverance. ” 

As they spoke thus they ascended the narrow 
stairs, and issued from the door of the Gate-house 
tower, where a singular spectacle awaited them. 
The Swiss Deputies and their escort still remained 
standing fast and firm on the very spot where 
Hagenbach had proposed to assail them. A few 
of the late Governor’s soldiers, disarmed, and 
cowering from the rage of a multitude of the citi- 
zens, who now filled the streets, stood with down- 
cast looks behind the phalanx of the mountaineers, as 
their safest place of retreat. But this was not all. 

The cars, so lately placed to obstruct the passage 
of the street, were now joined together, and served 
to support a platform, or scaffold, which had been 
hastily constructed of planks. On this was placed 
a chair', in which sat a tall man, with his head, 
neck, and shoulders bare, the rest of his body 



















\ 








ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


2 99 


clothed in bright armour. His countenance was 
as pale as death, yet young Philipson recognised 
the hard-hearted Governor, Sir Archibald Hagen- 
bach. He appeared to be bound to the chair. On 
his right, and close beside him, stood the Priest of 
St. Paul’s, muttering prayers, with his breviary 
in his hand; while on his left, and somewhat 
behind the captive, appeared a tall man, attired in 
red, Qi) and leaning with both hands on the naked 
sword, which has been described on a former occa- 
sion. The instant that Arnold Biederman ap- 
peared, and before the Landamman could open his 
lips to demand the meaning of what he saw, the 
priest drew back, the executioner stepped forward, 
the sword was brandished, the blow was struck, 
and the victim’s head rolled on the scaffold. A 
general acclamation and clapping of hands, like 
that by which a crowded theatre approves of some 
well-graced performer, followed this feat of dex- 
terity. While the headless corpse shot streams 
from the arteries, which were drunk up by the 
sawdust that strewed the scaffold, the executioner 
gracefully presented himself alternately at the four 
corners of the stage, modestly bowing, as the mul- 
titude greeted him with cheers of approbation. 

“ Nobles, knights, gentlemen of free-born blood, 
and good citizens, ” he said, “ who have assisted 
at this act of high justice, I pray you to bear me 
witness that this judgment hath been executed 
after the form of the sentence, at one blow, and 
without stroke missed or repeated. ” 

The acclamations were reiterated. 

“ Long live our Scharfgerichter Steinernherz, 
and many a tyrant may he do his duty on ! ” 

“ Noble friends,” said the executioner, with the 


300 


ANNE 0E GEIERSTEIN. 


deepest obeisance, “ I have yet another word to 
say, and it must be a proud one. — God be gracious 
to the soul of this good and noble knight, Sir 
Archibald de Hagenbach. He was the patron of 
my youth, and my guide to the path of honour. 
Eight steps have I made towards freedom and 
nobility on the heads of freeborn knights and 
nobles, who have fallen by his authority and com- 
mand ; and the ninth, by which I have attained 
it, is upon his own, in grateful memory of which 
I will expend this purse of gold, which but an 
hour since he bestowed on me, in masses for his 
soul. Gentlemen, noble friends, and now my 
equals, La Ferette has lost a nobleman and gained 
one. Our Lady be gracious to the departed knight, 
Sir Archibald de Hagenbach, and bless and prosper 
the progress of Stephen Steinernherz von Blut- 
sacker, now free and noble of right ! ” 1 

With that he took the feather out of the cap of 
the deceased, which, soiled with the blood of the 
wearer, lay near his body upon the scaffold, and, 
putting it into his own official bonnet, received 
the homage of the crowd in loud huzzas, which 
were partly in earnest, partly in ridicule of such 
an unusual transformation. 

Arnold Biederman at length found breath, which 
the extremity of surprise had at first denied him. 
Indeed, the whole execution had passed much too 
rapidly for the possibility of his interference. 

“ Who has dared to act this tragedy ? ” he said 
indignantly. “ And by what right has it taken 
place ? ” 

A cavalier, richly dressed in blue, replied to the 
question — 


1 Note I. 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


301 


“ The free citizens of Bale have acted for them- 
selves, as the fathers of Swiss liberty set them 
an example; and the tyrant, De Hagenbach, has 
fallen by the same right which put to death the 
tyrant Geysler. We bore with him till his cup 
was brimming over, and then we bore no longer. ” 

“ I say not hut that he deserved death, ” replied 
the Landamman ; “ but for your own sake, and for 
ours, you should have forborne him till the Duke’s 
pleasure was known. ” 

“ What tell you us of the Duke ? ” answered 
Laurenz Neipperg, the same blue cavalier whom 
Arthur had seen at the secret rendezvous of the 
Bdlese youth, in company with Budolph. “ Why 
talk you of Burgundy to us, who are none of his 
subjects ? The Emperor, our only rightful lord, 
had no title to pawn the town and fortifications of 
La Ferette, being as it is a dependency of Bale, to 
the prejudice of our free city. He might have 
pledged the revenue indeed ; and supposing him to 
have done so, the debt has been paid twice over 
by the exactions levied by yonder oppressor, who 
has now received his due. But pass on, Landam- 
man of Unterwalden. If our actions displease 
you, abjure them at the footstool of the Duke of 
Burgundy; but, in doing so, abjure the memory 
of William Tell and Stauffacher, of Furst and 
Melchtal, the fathers of Swiss freedom. ” 

“ You speak truth,” said the Landamman ; “ but 
it is in an ill-chosen and unhappy time. Patience 
would have remedied your evils, which none felt 
more deeply, or would have redressed more will- 
ingly, than I. But oh, imprudent young man, 
you have thrown aside the modesty of your age, 
and the subjection you owe to your elders. 


302 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


William Tell and his brethren were men of years 
and judgment, husbands and fathers, having a 
right to be heard in council, and to be foremost in 
action. Enough — I leave it with the fathers and 
senators of your own city, to acknowledge or to 
reprove your actions. — But you, my friends, — 
you, Banneret of Berne, — you, Rudolph, — above 
all, you, Nicholas Bonstetten, my comrade and 
my friend, why did you not take this miserable 
man under your protection ? The action would 
have shown Burgundy that we were slandered by 
those who have declared us desirous of seeking a 
quarrel with him, or of inciting his subjects to 
revolt. Now, all these prejudices will be con- 
firmed in the minds of men, naturally more tena- 
cious of evil impressions than of those which are 
favourable. ” 

“ As I live by bread, good gossip and neigh- 
bour, ” answered Nicholas Bonstetten, “I thought 
to obey your injunctions to a tittle ; so much so, 
that I once thought of breaking in and protecting 
the man, when Rudolph Donnerhugel reminded 
me that your last orders were, to stand firm, and 
let the men of Bale answer for their own actions ; 
and surely, said I to myself, my gossip Arnold 
knows better than all of us what is fitting to be 
done. ” 

“ Ah, Rudolph, Rudolph, ” said the Landamman, 
looking on him with a displeased countenance, 

“ wert thou not ashamed thus to deceive an old 
man ? ” 

“ To say I deceived him is a hard charge ; but 
from you, Landamman,” answered the Bernese, 
with his usual deference, “ I can bear anything. 
I will only say, that, being a member of this 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


303 


embassy, I am obliged to think, and to give my 
opinion as such, especially when he is not present 
who is wise enough to lead and direct us all.” 

“Thy words are always fair, Rudolph,” replied 
Arnold Biederman, “ and I trust so is thy meaning. 
Yet there are times when I somewhat doubt it. — 
But let disputes pass, and let me have your advice, 
my friends ; and for that purpose go we where it 
may best profit us, even to the church, where we 
will first return our thanks for our deliverance 
from assassination, and then hold counsel what 
next is to be done. ” 

The Landamman led the way, accordingly, to 
the church of St. Paul’s, while his companions 
and associates followed in their order. This gave 
Rudolph, who, as youngest, suffered the others to 
precede him, an opportunity to beckon to him the 
Landamman ’s eldest son, Rudiger, and whisper to 
him to get rid of the two English merchants. 

“ Away with them, my dear Rudiger, by fair 
means, if possible ; but away with them directly. 
Thy father is besotted with these two English 
pedlars, and will listen to no other counsel ; and 
thou and I know, dearest Rudiger, that such men 
as these are unfit to give laws to free-born Switzers. 
Get the trumpery they have been robbed of, or as 
much of it as is extant, together as fast as thou 
canst, and send them a-tra veiling, in Heaven’s 
name. ” 

Rudiger nodded intelligently, and went to offer 
his services to expedite the departure of the elder 
Philipson. He found the sagacious merchant as 
desirous to escape from the scene of confusion now 
presented in the town, as the young Swiss could 
be to urge his departure. He only waited to 


304 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


recover the casket of which De Hagenbach had 
possessed himself, and Rudiger Biederman set on 
foot a strict search after it, which was the more 
likely to be successful, that the simplicity of the 
Swiss prevented them from setting the true value 
upon its contents. A strict and hasty search was 
immediately instituted, both on the person of the 
dead De Hagenbach, on which the precious packet 
was not to be found, and on all who had approached 
him at his execution, or Were supposed to enjoy his 
confidence. 

Young Arthur Philipson would gladly have 
availed himself of a few moments to hid farewell 
to Anne of Geierstein. But the grey wimple was 
no longer seen in the ranks of the Switzers, and it 
was reasonable to think that, in the confusion 
which followed the execution of De Hagenbach, 
and the retreat of the leaders of the little battalion, 
she had made her escape into some of the adjacent 
houses, while the soldiers around her, no longer 
restrained by the presence of their chiefs, had dis- 
persed, some to search for the goods of which the 
Englishmen had been despoiled, others doubtless 
to mingle with and join in the rejoicings of the 
victorious youths of Bale, and of those burghers of 
La Ferette by whom the fortifications of the town 
had been so gently surrendered. 

The cry amongst them was universal, that 
Brisach, so long considered as the curb of the 
Swiss confederates, and the barrier against their 
commerce, should henceforth be garrisoned, as 
their protection against the encroachments and 
exactions of the Duke of Burgundy and his officers. 
The whole town was in a wild but joyful jubilee, 
while the citizens vied with each other in offering 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


305 


to the Swiss every species of refreshment, and the 
youths who attended upon the mission hurried 
gaily, and in triumph, to profit by the circum- 
stances, which had so unexpectedly converted the 
ambuscade so treacherously laid for them, into a 
genial and joyous reception. 

Amid this scene of confusion, it was impossible 
for Arthur to quit his father, even to satisfy the 
feelings which induced him to wish for a few 
moments at his own disposal. Sad, thoughtful, 
and sorrowful, amid the general joy, he remained 
with the parent whom he had so much reason to 
love and honour, to assist him in securing and 
placing on their mule the various packages and 
bales which the honest Switzers had recovered 
after the death of De Hagenbach,* and which they 
emulated each other in bringing to their rightful 
owner; while they were with difficulty prevailed 
on to accept the guerdon which the Englishman, 
• from the means which he had still left upon his 
person, was disposed not merely to offer but to 
force upon the restorers of his property, and which, 
in their rude and simple ideas, seemed greatly to 
exceed the value of what they had recovered for 
him. 

This scene had scarcely lasted ten or fifteen 
minutes, when Rudolph Donnerhugel approached 
the elder Philipson, and in a tone of great courtesy 
invited him to join the council of the Chiefs of 
the Embassy of the Swiss Cantons, who, he said, 
were desirous of having the advantage of his ex- 
perience upon some important questions respecting 
their conduct on these unexpected occurrences. 

“ See to our affairs, Arthur, and stir not from 
the spot on which I leave you, ” said Philipson to 
VOL. 1. — 20 


3°6 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


his son. “ Look especially after the sealed packet 
of which I was so infamously and illegally robbed : 
its recovery is of the utmost consequence. ” 

So speaking, he instantly prepared himself to 
attend the Bernese, who in a confidential manner 
whispered, as he went arm-in-arm with him 
towards the church of St. Paul’s, — 

“ I think a man of your wisdom will scarce 
advise us to trust ourselves to the mood of the 
Duke of Burgundy, when he has received such an 
injury as the loss of this fortress, and the execu- 
tion of his officer. You, at least, would be too 
judicious to afford us any further the advantage of 
your company and society, since to do so would be 
wilfully to engage in our shipwreck. ” 

“ I will give my best advice, ” answered Philip- 
son, “ when I shall be more particularly acquainted 
with the circumstances under which it is asked 
of me. ” 

Budolph muttered an oath, or angry exclama- 
tion, and led Philipson to the church without 
further argument. 

In a small chapel adjoining to the church, and 
dedicated to St. Magnus the Martyr, the four 
deputies were assembled in close conclave, around 
the shrine in which the sainted hero stood, armed 
as when he lived. The Priest of St. Paul’s was 
also present, and seemed to interest himself deeply 
in the debate which was taking place. When Phi- 
lipson entered, all were for a moment silent, un- 
til the Landamman addressed him thus : “ Seignor 
Philipson, we esteem you a man far travelled, 
well versed in the manners of foreign lands, and 
acquainted with the conditions of this Duke 
Charles of Burgundy; you are therefore fit to 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


307 


advise us in a matter of great weight. You know 
with what anxiety we go on this mission for peace 
with the Duke ; you also know what has this day 
happened, which may probably be represented to 
Charles in the worst colours. Would you advise 
us, in such a case, to proceed to the Duke’s pre- 
sence, with the odium of this action attached to 
us ? or should we do better to return home, and 
prepare for war with Burgundy ? ” 

“ How do your own opinions stand on the sub- 
ject ? ” said the cautious Englishman. 

“We are divided,” answered the Banneret of 
Berne. “ I have borne the banner of Berne against 
her foes for thirty years; I am more willing to 
carry it against the lances of the knights of Hai- 
nault and Lorraine, than to undergo the rude 
treatment which we must look to meet at the 
footstool of the Duke. ” 

“ We put our heads in the lion’s mouth if we go 
forward, ” said Zimmerman of Soleure ; — “ my 
opinion is, that we draw back. ” 

“ I would not advise retreat, ” said Rudolph 
Donnerhugel, “ were my life alone concerned ; but 
the Landamman of Unterwalden is the father of 
the United Cantons, and it would be parricide if 
I consented to put his life in peril. My advice is, 
that we return, and that the Confederacy stand on 
their defence. ” 

“ My opinion is different, ” said Arnold Bieder- 
man ; “ nor will I forgive any man who, whether 
in sincere or feigned friendship, places my poor 
life in the scale with the advantage of the Cantons. 
If we go forward, we risk our heads — be it so. 
But if we turn back, we involve our country in 
war with a power of the first magnitude in Europe. 


3°8 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


Worthy citizens! you are brave in fight — show 
your fortitude as boldly now ; and let us not hesi- 
tate to incur such personal danger as may attend 
ourselves, if by doing so we can gain a chance of 
peace for our country. ” 

“ I think and vote with my neighbour and gos- 
sip, Arnold Biederman, ” said the laconic deputy 
from Schwitz. 

“ You hear how we are divided in opinion, ” said 
the Landamman to Philipson. “ What is your 
opinion ? ” 

“ I would first ask of you, ” said the Englishman, 
“ what has been your part in this storming of a 
town occupied by the Duke’s forces, and putting 
to death his Governor ? ” 

“ So help me, Heaven ! ” said the Landamman, 
“ as I knew not of any purpose of storming the 
town until it unexpectedly took place. ” 

“ And for the execution of De Hagenbach, ” said 
the Black Priest, “ I swear to you, stranger, by my 
holy order, that it took place under the direction 
of a competent court, whose sentence Charles of 
Burgundy himself is hound to respect, and whose 
proceedings the deputies of the Swiss mission could 
neither have advanced nor retarded. ” 

“ If such be the case, and if you can really prove 
yourselves free of these proceedings,” answered 
Philipson, “ which must needs be highly resented 
by the Duke of Burgundy, I would advise you by 
all means to proceed upon ydur journey; with the 
certainty that you will obtain from that prince a 
just and impartial hearing, and it may be a favour- 
able answer. I know Charles of Burgundy ; I may 
even say that, our different ranks and walks of life 
considered, I know him well. He will be deeply 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


309 


incensed by the first tidings of what has here 
chanced, which he will no doubt interpret to your 
disfavour. But if, in the course of investigation, 
you are able to clear yourselves of these foul impu- 
tations, a sense of his own injustice may perhaps 
turn the balance in your favour, and in that case 
he will rush from the excess of censure into that 
of indulgence. But your cause must be firmly 
stated to the Duke, by some tongue better ac- 
quainted with the language of courts than yours ; 
and such a friendly interpreter might I have proved 
to you, had I not been plundered of the valuable 
packet which I bore with me in order to present to 
the Duke, and in testimony of my commission to 
him. ” 

“ A paltry fetch, ” whispered Donnerhugel to the 
Banneret, “ that the trader may obtain from us 
satisfaction for the goods of which he has been 
plundered. ” 

The Landamman himself was perhaps for a 
moment of the same opinion. 

“ Merchant, ” he said, “ we hold ourselves bound 
to make good to you — that is, if our substance 
can effect it — whatever loss you may have sus- 
tained, trusting to our protection. ” 

“ Ay, that we will, ” said the old man of Schwitz, 
“ should it cost us twenty zechins to make it good. ” 

“To your guarantee of immunity I can have no 
claim, ” said Philipson, “ seeing I parted company 
with you before I sustained any loss. And I 
regret the loss, not so much for its value, although 
that is greater than you may fancy; but chiefly 
because, that the contents of the casket I bore 
being a token betwixt a person of considerable 
importance and the Duke of Burgundy, I shall 


3 io ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 

not, I fear, now that I am deprived of them, 
.receive from his grace that credence which I 
desire, both for my own sake and yours. Without 
them, and speaking only in the person of a private 
traveller, I may not take upon me as I might have 
done, when using the names of the persons whose 
mandates I carried. ” 

“ This important packet, ” said the Landamman, 
“ shall he most rigorously sought for, and carefully 
re-delivered to thee. For ourselves, not a Swiss 
of us knows the value of its contents ; so that if 
they are in the hands of any of our men, they 
will be returned of course as baubles, upon which 
they set no value. ” 

As he spoke, there was a knocking at the door 
of the chapel. Rudolph, who stood nearest to it, 
having held some communication with those with- 
out, observed with a smile, which he instantly 
repressed, lest it had given offence to Arnold 
Biederman, — “ It is Sigismund, the good youth — 
Shall I admit him to our council ? ” 

“ To what purpose, poor simple lad ? ” said his 
father, with a sorrowful smile. 

“ Yet let me undo the door, ” said Phiiipson ; 
“ he is anxious to enter, and perhaps he brings 
news. I have observed, Landamman, that the 
young man, though with slowness of ideas and 
expression, is strong in his principles, and some- 
times happy in his conceptions. ” 

He admitted Sigismund accordingly ; while 
Arnold Biederman felt, on the one hand, the 
soothing compliment which Phiiipson had paid to 
a boy, certainly the dullest of his family, and, on 
the other, feared some public display of his son’s 
infirmity, or lack of understanding. Sigismund, 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


3ii 

however, seemed all confidence; and he certainly 
had reason to be so, since, as the shortest mode of 
explanation, he presented to Philipson the neck- 
lace of diamonds, with the casket in which it had 
been deposited. 

“ This pretty thing is yours, ” he said. “ I 
understand so much from your son Arthur, who 
tells me you will be glad to have it again. ” 

“ Most cordially do I thank you, ” said the mer- 
chant. “ The necklace is certainly mine ; that is, 
the packet of which it formed the contents was 
under my charge; and it is at this moment of 
greater additional value to me than even its actual 
worth, since it serves as my pledge and token for 
the performance of an important mission. — And 
how, my young friend,” he continued, addressing 
Sigismund, “ have you been so fortunate as to 
recover what we have sought for hitherto in vain ? 
Let me return my best acknowledgments ; and do 
not think me over-curious if I ask how it reached 
you. ” 

“ For that matter, ” said Sigismund, “ the story 
is soon told. I had planted myself as near the 
scaffold as I could, having never beheld an execu- 
tion before ; and I observed the executioner, who I 
thought did his duty very cleverly, just in the 
moment that he spread a cloth over the body of 
De Hagenbach, snatch something from the dead , 
man’s bosom, and huddle it hastily into his own; 
so, when the rumour arose that an article of value 
was a-missing, I hurried in quest of the fellow. I 
found he had bespoke masses to the extent ‘of a 
hundred crowns at the high altar of St. Paul’s; 
and I traced him to the tavern of the village, 
where some ill-looking men were joyously drinking 


312 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


to him as a free citizen and a nobleman. So I 
stepped in amongst them with my partisan, and 
% demanded of his lordship either to surrender to me 
what he had thus possessed himself of, or to try 
the weight of the weapon I carried. His lordship, 
my Lord Hangman, hesitated, and was about to 
make a brawl. But I was something peremptory, 
and so he judged it best to give me the parcel, 
which I trust you, Seignor Philipson, will find 
safe and entire as it was taken from you. And — 
and — I left them to conclude their festivities — 
and that is the whole of the story. " 

“ Thou art a brave lad, ” said Philipson ; “ and 
with a heart always right, the head can seldom be 
far wrong. But the church shall not lose its dues, 
and I take it on myself, ere I leave La Perette, to 
pay for the masses which the man had ordered for 
the sake of De Hagenbach’s soul, snatched from 
the world so unexpectedly. ” 

Sigismund was about to reply; but Philipson, 
fearing he might bring out some foolery to dimi- 
nish the sense which his father had so joyously 
entertained of his late conduct, immediately added, 

“ Hie away, my good youth, and give to my son 
Arthur this precious casket. ” 

With simple exultation at receiving applause to 
which he was little accustomed, Sigismund took 
his leave, and the council were once more left to 
their own privacy. 

There was a moment’s silence; for the Landam- 
man could not overcome the feeling of exquisite 
pleasure at the sagacity which poor Sigismund, 
whose general conduct warranted no such expecta- 
tions, had displayed on the present occasion. It 
was not, however, a feeling to which circum- 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


3i3 


stances permitted him to give vent, and he reserved 
it for his own secret enjoyment, as a solace to the 
anxiety which he had hitherto entertained con- 
cerning the limited intellect of this simple-minded 
young man. When he spoke, it was to Philip- 
son, with the usual candour and manliness of his 
character. 

“ Seignor Philipson, ” he said, “ we will hold 
you bound by no offer which you made while these 
glittering matters were out of your possession; 
because a man may often think that if he were in 
such and such a situation he would be able to 
achieve certain ends which, that position being 
attained, he may find himself unable to accom- 
plish. But I now ask you, whether, having thus 
fortunately and unexpectedly regained possession 
of what you say will give you certain credence 
with the Duke of Burgundy, you conceive yourself 
entitled to mediate with him on our behalf, as you 
formerly proposed ? ” 

All bent forward to hear the merchant’s answer. 

“ Landamman, ” he replied, “ I never spoke the 
word in difficulty which I was not ready to redeem 
when that difficulty was removed. You say, and 
I believe, that you had no concern with this 
storming of La Ferette. You say also, that the 
life of De Hagenbach was taken by a judicature 
over which you had no control, and exercised 
none — let a protocol be drawn up, averring these 
circumstances, and, as far as possible, proving 
them. Intrust it to me — under seal if you will 
— and if such points he established, I will pledge 
my word as a — as a — as an honest man and a 
true-born Englishman, that the Duke of Burgundy 
will neither detain nor offer you any personal 


314 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


injury. I also hope to show to Charles strong and 
weighty reasons why a league of friendship betwixt 
Burgundy and the United Cantons of Helvetia is, 
on his grace’s part, a wise and generous measure. 
But it is possible I may fail in this last point; 
and if I do, I shall deeply grieve for it. In war- 
ranting your safe passage to the Duke’s court, and 
your safe return from it to your own country, I 
think I cannot fail. If I do, my own life, and 
that of my beloved and only child, shall pay the 
ransom for my excess of confidence in the Duke’s 
justice and honour. ” 

*The other deputies stood silent, and looked on 
the Landamman ; but Budolph Donnerhugel spoke. 

“ Are we then to trust our own lives, and, what 
is still dearer to us, that of our honoured associate, 
Arnold Biederman, on the simple word of a foreign 
trader? We all know the temper of the Duke, 
and how vindictively and relentlessly he has ever 
felt towards our country and its interests. Me- 
thinks this English merchant should express the 
nature of his interest at the court of Burgundy 
more plainly, if he expects us to place such im- 
plicit reliance in it.” 

“ That, Seignor Rudolph Donnerhugel, ” replied 
the merchant, “ I find myself not at liberty to do. 
I pry not into your secrets, whether they belong 
to you as a body or as individuals. My own are 
sacred. If I consulted my own safety merely, I 
should act most wisely to part company with you 
here. But the object of your mission is peace; 
and your sudden return, after what has chanced at 
La Ferette, will make war inevitable. I think I 
can assure you of a safe and free audience from 
the Duke, and I am willing, for the chance of 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


3i5 


securing the peace of Christendom, to encounter 
any personal peril which may attach to myself. ” 

“ Say no more, worthy Philipson, ” said the 
Landamman ; “ thy good faith is undoubted on our 
part, and ill luck is his who cannot read it written 
on thy manly forehead. We go forward, then, 
prepared to risk, our own safety at the hand of a 
despotic prince, rather than leave undischarged 
the mission which our country has intrusted us 
with. He is but half a brave man who will risk 
his life only in the field of battle. There are 
other dangers, to front which is equally honour- 
able ; and since the weal of Switzerland demands 
that we should encounter them, not one of us will 
hesitate to take the risk. ” 

The other members of the mission bowed in 
assent, and the conclave broke up to prepare for 
their farther entrance into Burgundy. 


CHAPTER XVII. 


Upon the mountain’s heathery side, 

The day’s last lustre shone, 

And rich with many a radiant hue, 

Gleam’d gaily on the Rhone. 

Southey. 

The English merchant was now much consulted by 
the Swiss Commissioners in all their motions. He 
exhorted them to proceed with all despatch on 
their journey, so as to carry to the Duke their own 
account of the affair of Brisach, and thus anticipate 
all rumours less favourable to their conduct on the 
occasion. For this purpose Philipson recommended 
that the Deputies, dismissing their escort, whose 
arms and numbers might give umbrage and sus- 
picion, while they were too few for defence, should 
themselves proceed by rapid journeys on horseback 
towards Dijon, or wherever the Duke might chance 
to be for the time. 

This proposal was, however, formally resisted 
by the very person who had hitherto been the most 
ductile of the party, and the willing echo of the 
Landamman’s pleasure. On the present occasion, 
notwithstanding that Arnold Biederman declared 
the advice of Philipson excellent, Nicholas Bon- 
stetten stood in absolute and insurmountable oppo- 
sition; because, having hitherto trusted to his 
own limbs for transporting himself to and fro on 
all occasions, he could by no means be persuaded 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


317 


to commit himself to the discretion of a horse. 
As he was found obstinately positive on this 
subject, it was finally determined that the two 
Englishmen should press forward on their journey, 
with such speed as they might, and that the 
elder of them should make the Duke acquainted 
with so much as to the capture of La Ferette 
as he had himself witnessed of the matter. The 
particulars which had attended the death of De 
Hagenbach, the Landamman assured him, would 
be sent to the Duke by a person of confidence, 
whose attestation on the subject could not be 
doubted. 

This course was adopted, as Philipson expressed 
his confidence of getting an early and private au- 
dience with his grace of Burgundy. 

“ My best intercession, ” he said, “ you have a 
good right to reckon upon; and no one can bear 
more direct testimony than I can to the ungover- 
nable cruelty and rapacity of De Hagenbach, of 
which I had so nearly been the victim. But of 
his trial and execution I neither know nor can tell 
anything ; and as Duke Charles is sure to demand 
why execution was done upon his officer without 
an appeal to his own tribunal, it will be well 
that you either provide me with such facts as you 
have to state, or send forward, at least, as speedily 
as possible, the evidence which you have to lay 
before him on that most weighty branch of the 
subject. ” 

The proposal of the merchant created some vi- 
sible embarrassment on the countenance of the 
Swiss, and it was* with obvious hesitation that 
Arnold Biederman, having led him aside, addressed 
him in a whisper — 


3i8 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


“ My good friend, ” he said, “ mysteries are in 
general like the hateful mists which disfigure the 
noblest features of nature; yet, like mists, they 
will sometimes intervene when we most desire 
their absence, when we most desire to be plain and 
explicit. The manner of De Hagenbach’s death 
you saw — we will take care that the Duke is 
informed of the authority by which it was in- 
flicted. This is all that I can at present tell you 
on the subject ; and let me add, that the less you 
speak of it with any one, you will be the more 
likely to escape inconvenience. ” 

“Worthy Landamman, ” said the Englishman, 

“ I also am by nature, and from the habits of my 
country, a hater of mysteries. Yet, such is my 
firm confidence in your truth and honour, that you 
shall be my guide in these dark and secret trans- 
actions, even as amongst the mists and precipices 
of your native land, and I rest contented in either 
case to place unlimited confidence in your sagacity. 
Let me only recommend that your explanation with 
Charles be instant, as well as clear and candid. 
Such being the case, I trust my poor interest with 
the Duke may be reckoned for something in your ' 
favour. Here then we part, but, as I trust, soon 
to meet again. ” 

The elder Philipson now rejoined his son, whom 
he directed to hire horses, together with a guide, 
to conduct them with all speed to the presence of 
the Duke of Burgundy. By various inquiries in 
the town, and especially among the soldiers of the 
slain De Hagenbach, they at length learned that 
Charles had been of late occupied in taking pos- 
session of Lorraine, and, being now suspicious of 
unfriendly dispositions on the part of the Emperor 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


3i9 


of Germany, as well as of Sigismund Duke of 
Austria, had drawn a considerable part of his army 
together near Strasburg, in order to he prepared 
against any attempt of these princes, or of the 
Free Imperial Cities, which might interfere with 
his course of conquest. The Duke of Burgundy, 
at this period, well deserved his peculiar epithet 
of the Bold, since, surrounded by enemies, like 
one of the nobler animals of the chase, he yet 
astounded, by his stern and daring countenance, 
not only the princes and states we have mentioned, 
but even the King of France, equally powerful, 
and far more politic, than himself. 

To his camp, therefore, the English travellers 
bent their way, each full of such deep and melan- 
choly reflection as, perhaps, prevented his bestow- 
ing much attention on the other’s state of mind. 
They rode as men deeply immersed in their own 
thoughts, and with less intercourse than had been 
usual betwixt them on their former journeys. 
The nobleness of the elder Philipson’s nature, and 
his respect for the Landamman’s probity, joined 
with gratitude for his hospitality, had prevented 
him from separating his cause from that of the 
Swiss deputies, nor did he now repent his gene- 
rosity in adhering to them. But when he recol- 
lected the nature and importance of the personal 
affairs which he himself had to despatch with a 
proud, imperious, and irritable prince, he could 
not but regret the circumstances which had in- 
volved his own particular mission, of so much 
consequence to himself and his friends, with that 
of persons likely to be so highly obnoxious to the 
Duke as Arnold Biederman and his companions; 
and, however grateful for the hospitality of Geier- 


320 


ANNE OF GEIERSTE1N. 


stein, he regretted, nevertheless, the circumstances 
which had obliged him to accept of it. 

The thoughts of Arthur were no less anxious. 
He found himself anew separated from the object 
to which his thoughts were, almost against his 
own will, constantly returning. And this second 
separation had taken place after he had incurred 
an additional load of gratitude, and found new as 
well as more mysterious food for his ardent imagi- 
nation. How was he to reconcile the character 
and attributes of Anne of Geierstein, whom he 
had known so gentle, candid, pure, and simple, 
with those of the daughter of a sage, and of an 
elementary spirit, to whom night was as day, and 
an impervious dungeon the same as the open por- 
tico of a temple ? Could they be identified as the 
same being ? or, while strictly alike in shape and 
lineament, was the one a tenant of the earth, the 
other only a phantom, permitted to show itself 
among those of a nature in which she did not par- 
take ? Above all, must he never see her more, or 
receive from her own lips an explanation of the 
mysteries which were so awfully entwined with 
his recollections of her ? Such were the questions 
which occupied the mind of the younger traveller, 
and prevented him from interrupting, or even 
observing, the reverie in which his father was 
plunged. 

Had either of the travellers been disposed to 
derive amusement from the country through which 
their road lay, the vicinity of the Ehine was well 
qualified to afford it. The ground on the left bank 
of that noble river is indeed rather flat and tame ; 
and the mountains of Alsace, a ridge of which 
sweeps along its course, do not approach so near as 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


321 


greatly to vary the level surface of the valley 
which divides them from its shores. But the 
broad stream itself, hurrying forward with dizzy 
rapidity, and rushing around the islets by which 
its course is interrupted, is one of the most 
majestic spectacles in nature. The right bank is 
dignified at once, and adorned, by the numerous 
eminences covered with wood, and interspersed 
with valleys, which constitute the district so well 
known by the name of the Black Forest, to which 
superstition attached so many terrors, and cre- 
dulity such a variety of legends. Terrors, indeed, 
it had, of a real and existing character. The old 
castles, seen from time to time on the banks of the 
river itself, or on the ravines and large brooks 
which flow into it, were then no picturesque ruins, 
rendered interesting by the stories which were told 
about their former inhabitants, but constituted the 
real and apparently impregnable strongholds of 
that Bobber-chivalry whom we have already fre- 
quently mentioned, and of whom, since Goethe, 
an author born to arouse the slumbering fame of 
his country, has dramatised the story of Goetz of 
Berlichingen, we have had so many spirit-stirring 
tales. The danger attending the vicinity of these 
fortresses was only known on the right, or German 
bank of the Bhine, for the breadth and depth of 
that noble stream effectually prevented any foray 
of their inhabitants from reaching Alsace. The 
former was in possession of the Cities or Free 
Towns of the Empire, and thus the feudal tyranny 
of the German lords was chiefly exerted at the 
expense of their own countrymen, who, irritated 
and exhausted with their rapine and oppression, 
were compelled to erect barriers against it, of a 

VOL. I. — 21 


322 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


nature as interesting and extraordinary as were 
the wrongs from which they endeavoured to protect 
themselves. 

But the left bank of the river, over great part of 
which Charles of Burgundy exercised his autho- 
rity, under various characters, was under the 
regular protection of the ordinary magistrates, who 
were supported in the discharge of their duty by 
large bands of mercenary soldiers. These were 
maintained by Charles out of his private revenue ; 
he, as well as his rival Louis, and other princes of 
the period, having discovered that the feudal sys- 
tem gave an inconvenient degree of independence 
to their vassals, and thinking, of course, that it 
was better to substitute in its place a standing 
army, consisting of Free Companies, or soldiers by 
profession. Italy furnished most of these bands, 
which composed the strength of Charles’s army, 
at least the part of it in which he most trusted. 

Our travellers, therefore, pursued their way by 
the banks of the river, in as great a degree of secu- 
rity as could well be enjoyed in that violent and 
distracted time, until at length the father, after 
having eyed for some time the person whom Arthur 
had hired to be their guide, suddenly asked of his 
son who or what the man was. Arthur replied 
that he had been too eager to get a person who 
knew the road, and was willing to show it, to be 
very particular in inquiring into his station or 
occupation; but that he thought, from the man’s 
appearance, he must be one of those itinerant 
ecclesiastics, who travel through the country with 
relics, pardons, and other religious trinkets, and 
were in general but slightly respected, excepting 
by the lower orders, on whom these vendors of 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


323 


superstitious wares were often accused of practising 
gross deceptions. 

The man’s appearance was rather that of a 
lay devotee, or palmer, bound on his pilgrimage 
to different shrines, than of a mendicant friar, 
or questionary. He wore the hat, scrip, staff, 
and coarse dalmatic, somewhat like the military 
cloak of the modern hussar, which were used by 
such persons on their religious peregrinations. St. 
Peter’s keys, rudely shaped out of some scarlet rag 
of cloth, appeared on the back of his mantle, 
placed, as heralds say, saltire wise. This devotee 
seemed a man of fifty and upwards, well-made, 
and stout for his age, with a cast of countenance 
which, though not positively ugly, was far from 
being well-favoured. There was shrewdness, and 
an alert expression in his eye and actions, which 
made some occasional contrast with the sancti- 
monious demeanour of the character he now bore. 
This difference betwixt his dress and physiognomy 
was by no means uncommon among persons of his 
description, many of whom embraced this mode of 
life, rather to indulge roving and idle habits, than 
from any religious call. 

“ Who art thou, good fellow ? ” said the elder 
Philipson ; “ and by what name am I to call thee 
while we are fellow-travellers ? ” 

“ Bartholomew, sir, ” said the man ; “ Brother 
Bartholomew — I might say Bartholomseus, but it 
does not become a poor lay brother like me to 
aspire to the honour of a learned termination. ” 

“ And whither does thy journey tend, good 
Brother Bartholomew ? ” 

“ In whichever direction your worship chooses 
to travel, and to require my services as guide,” 


324 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


answered the palmer ; “ always premising, you 
allow me leisure for my devotions at such holy 
stations as we pass on our route. ” 

“ That is, thine own journey hath no professed 
or pressing object or end ? ” said the Englishman. 

“ None, as your worship says, peculiar, ” said 
the itinerant ; “ or I might rather say, that my 
journey, good sir, embraces so many objects, that 
it is matter of indifference to me which of them I 
accomplish first. My vow binds me for four years 
to travel from one shrine, or holy place, to another ; 
but I am not directly tied to visit them by any 
precise rule of rotation. ” 

“ That is to say, thy vow of pilgrimage does not 
prevent thee from hiring thyself to wait upon 
travellers as their guide, ” replied Philipson. 

“ If I can unite the devotion I owe to the blessed 
saints whose shrines I visit, with a service ren- 
dered to a wandering fellow-creature who desires 
to be directed upon his journey, I do maintain,” 
replied Bartholomew, “ that the objects are easily 
to be reconciled to each other. ” 

“ Especially as a little worldly profit may tend 
to cement the two duties together, if otherwise 
incompatible,” said Philipson. 

“ It pleases your honour to say so, ” replied the 
pilgrim ; but you yourself may, if you will, 
derive from my good company something more 
than the mere knowledge of the road in which you 
propose to travel. I can make your journey more 
edifying by legends of the blessed saints whose 
holy relics I have visited, and pleasing, by the 
story of the wonderful things which I have seen 
and heard in my travels. I can impart to you an 
opportunity of providing yourself with his Holi- 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


325 


ness’s pardon, not only for the sins which you 
have committed, but also granting you indulgence 
for future errors. ” 

“ These things are highly available doubtless, ” 
replied the merchant ; “ but, good Bartholomew, 
when I desire to speak of them, I apply to my 
father confessor, to whom I have been uniformly 
regular in committing the charge of my conscience, 
and who must he, therefore, well acquainted with 
my state of mind, and best accustomed to prescribe 
what its case may require. ” 

“ Nevertheless, ” said Bartholomew, “ I trust your 
worship is too religious a man, and too sound a 
Catholic, to pass any hallowed station without 
endeavouring to obtain some share of the benefits 
which it is the means of dispensing to those who 
are ready and willing to deserve them. More 
especially as all men, of whatever trade and degree, 
hold respect to the holy saint who patroniseth his 
own mystery; so I hope you, being a merchant, 
will not pass the Chapel of Our Lady of the Ferry, 
without making some fitting orison. ” 

“ Friend Bartholomew, ” said Philipson, “ I have 
not heard of the shrine which you recommend to 
me ; and, as my business is pressing, it were better 
worth my while to make a pilgrimage hither on 
purpose to make mine homage at a fitter season, 
than to delay my journey at present. This, God 
willing, I will not fail to do, so that I may 
be held excused for delaying my reverence till 
I can pay it more respectfully, and at greater 
leisure.” 

“ May it please you not to be wroth, ” said the 
guide, “ if I say that your behaviour in this matter 
is like that of a fool, who, finding a treasure by 


326 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


the road-side, omits to put it in his bosom and 
carry it along with him, proposing to return from 
a distance on a future day, of express purpose to 
fetch it. ” 

Philipson, something astonished at the man’s 
pertinacity, was about to answer hastily and 
angrily, but was prevented by the arrival of three 
strangers, who rode hastily up from behind them. 

The foremost of these was a young female, most 
elegantly attired, and mounted upon a Spanish 
jennet, which she reined with singular grace and 
dexterity. She wore on her right hand such a 
glove as that which was used to carry hawks, and 
had a merlin perched upon it. Her head was 
covered with a montero cap, and, as was frequently 
the custom at the period, she wore on her face a 
kind of black silk vizard, which effectually con- 
cealed her features. Notwithstanding this dis- 
guise, Arthur Philipson ’s heart sprang high at the 
appearance of these strangers, for he was at once 
certain he recognised the matchless form of the 
Swiss maiden by whom his mind was so anxiously 
occupied. Her attendants were a falconer with 
his hunting-pole, and a female, both apparently 
her domestics. The elder Philipson, who had no 
such accuracy of recollection as his son manifested 
upon the occasion, saw in the fair stranger only 
some dame or damsel of eminence engaged in the 
amusement of hawking, and, in return to a brief 
salutation, merely asked her, with suitable cour- 
tesy, as the case demanded, whether she had spent 
the morning in good sport. 

“ Indifferent, good friend, ” said the lady. “ I 
dare not fly my hawk so near the broad river, lest 
he should soar to the other side, and so I might 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


32 7 


lose my companion. But I reckon on finding 
better game when I have crossed to the other side 
of the ferry, which we are now approaching. ” 

“ Then your ladyship,” said Bartholomew, “ will 
hear mass in Hans’ Chapel, and pray for your 
success ? ” 

“ I were a heathen to pass the holy place with- 
out doing so,” replied the damsel. 

“ That, noble damsel, touches the point we were 
but now talking of,” said the guide Bartholomew; 
“ for know, fair mistress, that I cannot persuade 
this worthy gentleman how deeply the success of 
his enterprise is dependent upon his obtaining the 
blessing of Our Lady of the Ferry.” 

“The good man,” said the young maiden, se- 
riously, and even severely, “ must know little of 
the Bhine. I will explain to the gentlemen the 
propriety of following your advice. ” 

She then rode close to young Philipson, and 
spoke in Swiss, for she had hitherto used the Ger- 
man language, “ Do not start, but hear me ! ” and 
the voice was that of Anne of Geierstein. “ Do 
not, I say, be surprised — or at least show not your 
wonder — you are beset by dangers. On this road, 
especially, your business is known — your lives 
are laid in wait for. Cross over the river at 
the Ferry of the Chapel, or Hans’ Ferry, as it is 
usually termed. ” 

Here the guide drew so near to them that it 
was impossible for her to continue the conversation 
without being overheard. At that same moment 
a woodcock sprung from some bushes, and the 
young lady threw off her merlin in pursuit. 

“ Sa ho — sa ho — wo ha ! ” hollowed the fal- 
coner, in a note which made the thicket ring 


328 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


again; and away he rode in pursuit. The elder 
Philipson and the guide himself followed the 
chase eagerly with their eyes, so attractive was the 
love of that brave sport to men of all ranks. But 
the voice of the maiden was a lure, which would 
have summoned Arthur’s attention from matters 
more deeply interesting. 

“ Cross the Rhine, ” she again repeated, “ at the 
Ferry to Kirch-hoff, on the other side of the river. 
Take your lodgings at the Golden Fleece, where 
you will find a guide to Strasburg. I must stay 
here no longer.” 

So saying, the damsel raised herself in her 
saddle, struck her horse lightly with the loose reins, 
and the mettled animal, already impatient at her 
delay, and the eager burst of its companions, flew 
forward at such a pace, as if he had meant to 
emulate the flight of the hawk, and of the prey 
he pursued. The lady and her attendants soon 
vanished from the sight of the travellers. 

A deep silence for some time ensued, during 
which Arthur studied how to communicate the 
warning he had received, without awakening the 
suspicions of their guide. But the old man broke 
silence himself, saying to Bartholomew, “ Put 
your horse into more motion, I pray you, and ride 
onward a few yards ; I would have some private 
conference with my son. ” 

The guide obeyed, and, as if with the purpose 
of showing a mind too profoundly occupied by 
heavenly matters to admit a thought concerning 
those of this transitory world, he thundered forth 
a hymn in praise of St. Wendelin the Shepherd, 
in a strain so discordant as startled every bird 
from every bush by which they passed. There 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


329 


was never a more unmelodious melody, whether 
sacred or profane, than that under protection of 
which the elder Philipson thus conferred with 
his son. 

“ Arthur, ” he said, “ I am much convinced that 
this howling hypocritical vagrant has some plot 
upon us; and I had well-nigh determined that 
the best mode to baffle it would be to consult my 
own opinion, and not his, as to our places of repose, 
and the direction of our journey. ” 

“Your judgment is correct, as usual,” said his 
son. “ I am well convinced of yonder man’s 
treachery, from a whisper in which that maiden 
informed me that we ought to take the road to 
Strasburg, by the eastern side of the river, and for 
that purpose cross over to a place called Kirch- 
hoff, on the opposite bank. ” 

“ Do you advise this, Arthur ? ” replied his 
father. 

“ I will pledge my life for the faith of this 
young person,” replied his son. 

“ What ! ” said his father, “ because she sits her 
palfrey fairly, and shows a faultless shape ? Such 
is the reasoning of a boy — and yet my own old 
and cautious heart feels inclined to trust her. 
If our secret is known in this land, there are 
doubtless many who may be disposed to think they 
have an interest in barring my access to the Duke 
of Burgundy, even by the most violent means ; and 
well you know that I should on my side hold my 
life equally cheap, could I discharge mine errand 
at the price of laying it down. I tell thee, 
Arthur, that my mind reproaches me for taking 
hitherto over little care of insuring the discharge 
of my commission, owing to the natural desire I 


330 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


had to keep thee in my company. There now lie 
before us two ways, both perilous and uncertain, 
by which w r e may reach the Duke’s Court. We 
may follow this guide, and take the chance of his 
fidelity, or we may adopt the hint of yonder 
damsel-errant, and cross over to the other side of 
the Rhine, and again repass the river at Strasburg. 
Both roads are perhaps equally perilous. I feel it 
my duty to diminish the risk of the miscarriage of 
my commission, by sending thee across to the 
right bank, while I pursue my proposed course 
upon the left. Thus, if one of us be intercepted, 
the other may escape, and the important commis- 
sion which he bears may be duly executed. ” 

“ Alas, my father ! ” said Arthur, “ how is it 
possible for me to obey you, when by doing so I 
must leave you alone, to incur so many dangers,’ 
to struggle with so many difficulties, in which my 
aid might be at least willing, though it could only 
be weak ? Whatever befall us in these delicate 
and dangerous circumstances, let us at least meet 
it in company. ” 

“ Arthur, my beloved son, ” said his father, “ in 
parting from thee I am splitting mine own heart 
in twain ; but the same duty which commands us 
to expose our bodies to death, as peremptorily 
orders us not to spare our most tender affections. 
We must part. ” 

“Oh, then,” replied his son, eagerly, “let me 
at least prevail in one point. Do thou, my father, 
cross the Rhine, and let me prosecute the journey 
by the route originally proposed. ” 

“ And why, I pray you, ” answered the merchant, 
“ should I go one of these roads in preference to 
the other ? ” 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


33 * 


“ Because, ” said Arthur eagerly, “ I would war- 
rant yonder maiden’s faith with my life.” 

“ Again, young man ? ” said his father. “ And 
wherefore so confident in that young maiden’s 
faith ? Is it merely from the confidence which 
youth reposes in that which is fair and pleas- 
ing, or have you had further acquaintance with 
her than the late brief conversation with her 
admitted ? ” 

“ Can I give you an answer ? ” replied his son. 
“We have been long absent from lands of knights 
and ladies, and is it not natural that we should 
give to those who remind us of the honoured ties 
of chivalry and gentle blood, the instinctive cre- 
dence which we refuse to such a poor wretch as this 
itinerant mountebank, who gains his existence by 
cheating, with false relics and forged legends, the 
poor peasants amongst whom he travels ? ” 

“ It is a vain imagination, Arthur, ” said his 
father ; “ not unbefitting, indeed, an aspirant to 
the honours of chivalry, who draws his ideas of 
life and its occurrences from the romances of the 
minstrels, but too visionary for a youth who has 
seen, as thou hast, how the business of this world 
is conducted. I tell thee, and thou wilt learn to 
know I say truth, that around the homely board 
of our host the Landamman were ranged truer 
tongues, and more faithful hearts, than the cour 
pleniere of a monarch has to boast. Alas! the 
manly spirit of ancient faith and honour has fled 
even from the breast of kings and knights, where, 
as John of France said, it ought to continue to 
reside a constant inhabitant, if banished from all 
the rest of the world.” 

“ Be that as it may, dearest father, ” replied the 


332 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


younger Philipson, “ I pray you to be persuaded 
by me ; and if we must part company, let it be by 
your taking the right bank of the Rhine, since I 
am persuaded it is the safest route. ” 

“ And if it be the safest, ” said his father, with 
a voice of tender reproach, “ is that a reason why 
I should spare my own almost exhausted thread of 
life, and expose thine, my dear son, which has but 
begun its course ? ” 

“Nay, father,” answered the son with anima- 
tion, “ in speaking thus you do not consider the 
difference of our importance to the execution of 
the purpose which you have so long entertained, 
and which seems now so nigh being accomplished. 
Think how imperfectly I might be able to dis- 
charge it, without knowledge of the Duke’s person, 
or credentials to gain his confidence. I might 
indeed repeat your words, but the circumstances 
would be wanting to attract the necessary faith, 
and of consequence, your scheme, for the success of 
which you have lived, and now are willing to run 
the risk of death, would miscarry along with me. ” 

“ You cannot shake my resolution, ” said the 
elder Philipson, “ or persuade me that my life is 
of more importance than yours. You only remind 
me that it is you, and not I, who ought to be the 
bearer of this token to the Duke of Burgundy. 
Should you be successful in reaching his court or 
camp, your possession of these gems will be need- 
ful to attach credit to your mission ; a purpose for 
which they would be less necessary to me, who 
can refer to other circumstances under which I 
might claim credence, if it should please Heaven 
to leave me alone to acquit myself of this impor- 
tant commission, which, may Our Lady, in her 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


333 


mercy, forefend ! Understand, therefore, that, 
should an opportunity occur by which you can 
make your way to the opposite side of the Rhine, 
you are to direct your journey so as again to cross 
to this bank at Strasburg, where you will inquire 
for news of me at the Flying Stag, a hostelry in 
that city, which you will easily discover. If you 
hear no tidings of me at that place, you will 
proceed to the Duke, and deliver to him this 
important packet. * 

Here he put into his son’s hand, with as much 
privacy as possible, the case containing the dia- 
mond necklace. 

“ What else your duty calls on you to do, ” con- 
tinued the elder Philipson, “ you well know; only 
I conjure you, let no vain inquiries after my fate 
interfere with the great duty you have there to 
discharge. In the meantime, prepare to bid me 
a sudden farewell, with a heart as bold and con- 
fident as when you went before me, and courage- 
ously led the way amid the rocks and storms of 
Switzerland. Heaven was above us then, as it is 
over us now. Adieu, my beloved Arthur! Should 
I wait till the moment of separation, there may be 
but short time to speak the fatal word, and no eye 
save thine own must see the tear which I now 
wipe away. ” 

The painful feeling which accompanied this 
anticipation of their parting was so sincere on 
Arthur’s part, as well as that of his father, that 
it did not at first occur to the former, as a source 
of consolation, that it seemed likely he might be 
placed under the guidance of the singular female, 
the memory of whom haunted him. True it was, 
that the beauty of Anne of Geierstein, as well as 


334 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


the striking circumstances in which she had exhi- 
bited herself, had on that very morning been the 
principal occupation of his mind; but they were 
now chased from it by the predominant recol- 
lection, that he was about to be separated in a 
moment of danger from a father so well deserving 
of his highest esteem and his fondest affection. 

Meanwhile, that father dashed from his eye the 
tear which his devoted stoicism could not sup- 
press, and, as if afraid of softening his resolution 
by indulging his parental fondness, he recalled 
the pious Bartholomew, to demand of him how far 
they were from the Chapel of the Ferry. 

“ Little more than a mile, ” was the reply ; and 
when the Englishman required further information 
concerning the cause of its erection, he w T as in- 
formed, that an old boatman and fisherman, named 
Hans, had long dwelt at the place, who gained a 
precarious livelihood by transporting travellers and 
merchants from one bank of the river to the other. 
The misfortune, however, of losing first one boat 
and then a second, in the deep and mighty stream, 
with the dread inspired in travellers by the repe- 
tition of such accidents, began to render his pro- 
fession an uncertain one. Being a good Catholic, 
the old man’s distress took a devotional turn. He 
began to look back on his former life, and consider 
by what crimes he had deserved the misfortunes 
which darkened the evening of his days. His 
remorse was chiefly excited by the recollection 
that he had, on one occasion, when the passage 
was peculiarly stormy, refused to discharge his 
duty as a ferryman, in order to transport to the 
other shore a priest, who bore along with him an 
image of the Virgin, destined for the village of 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


335 


Kirch-hoff, on the opposite or right bank of the 
Rhine. For this fault Hans submitted to severe 
penance, as he was now disposed to consider as 
culpable his doubt of the Virgin’s power of pro- 
tecting herself, her priest, and the bark employed 
in her service; besides which, the offering of a 
large share of his worldly goods to the church of 
Kirch-hoff expressed the truth of the old man’s 
repentance. Neither did he ever again permit 
himself to interpose any delay in the journey of 
men of holy Church ; but all ranks of the clergy, 
from the mitred prelate to the barefooted friar, 
might at any time of day or night have com- 
manded the services of him and his boat. 

While prosecuting so laudable a course of life, 
it became at length the lot of Hans to find, on the 
banks of the Rhine, a small image of the Virgin, 
thrown by the waves, which appeared to him 
exactly to resemble that which he had formerly 
ungraciously refused to carry across, when under 
charge of the sacristan of Kirch-hoff. He placed 
it in the most conspicuous part of his hut, and 
poured out his soul before it in devotion, anxiously 
inquiring for some signal by which he might dis- 
cover whether he was to consider the arrival of 
her holy image as a pledge that his offences were 
forgiven. In the visions of the night, his prayers 
were answered, and Our Lady, assuming the form 
of the image, stood by his bedside, for the purpose 
of telling him wherefore she had come hither. 

“ My trusty servant, ” she said, “ men of Belial 
have burned my dwelling at Kirch-hoff, spoiled 
my chapel, and thrown the sacred image which 
represents me into the swoln Rhine, which swept 
me downward. Now, I have resolved to dwell no 


336 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


longer in the neighbourhood of the profane doers 
of this deed, or of the cowardly vassals who dared 
not prevent it. I am, therefore, compelled to 
remove my habitation, and, in despite of the 
opposing current, I determined to take the shore 
on this side, being resolved to fix my abode with 
thee, my faithful servant, that the land in which 
thou dwellest may be blessed, as well as thou and 
thy household. ” 

As the vision spoke, she seemed to wring from 
her tresses the water in which they had been 
steeped, while her disordered dress and fatigued 
appearance was that of one who has been buffeting 
with the waves. 

Next morning brought intelligence that, in one 
of the numerous feuds of that fierce period, Kirch- 
hoff had been sacked, the church destroyed, and 
the church treasury plundered. 

In consequence of the fisherman’s vision being 
thus remarkably confirmed, Hans entirely re- 
nounced his profession ; and, leaving it to younger 
men to supply his place as ferryman, he converted 
his hut into a rustic chapel, and he himself, 
taking orders, attended upon the shrine as a her- 
mit, or daily chaplain. The figure was supposed 
to work miracles, and the ferry became renowned 
from its being under the protection of the Holy 
Image of Our Lady, and her no less holy servant. 

When Bartholomew had concluded his account 
of the Ferry and its Chapel, the travellers had 
arrived at the place itself. 


CHAPTER XVIII. 


Upon the Rhine, upon the Rhine they cluster, 

The grapes of juice divine, 

Which make the soldier’s jovial courage muster ; 

O blessed be the Rhine ! 

Drinking Song . 1 

A cottage or two on the side of the river, beside 
which were moored one or two fishing-boats, 
showed the pious Hans had successors in his pro- 
fession as a boatman. The river, which at a point 
a little lower was restrained by a chain of islets, 
expanded more widely, and moved less rapidly, 
than when it passed these cottages, affording to 
the ferryman a smoother surface, and a less heavy 
stream to contend with, although the current was 
even there too strong to be borne up against, un- 
less the river was in a tranquil state. 

On the opposite bank, but a good deal lower 
than the hamlet which gave name to the ferry, 
was seated on a small eminence, screened by trees 
and bushes, the little town of Kirch-hoff. A skiff 
departing from the left bank was, even on favour- 
able occasions, carried considerably to leeward ere 
it could attain the opposite side of the deep and 
full stream of the Rhine, so that its course was 
oblique towards Kirch-hoff. On the other hand, 

1 This is one of the best and most popular of the German 
ditties : — 

“ Am Rhein, am Rhein, da wachsen unsere Reben, 

Gesegnet sei der Rhein,” &c. 
vol. I. — 22 


338 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


a boat departing from Kirch-hoff must have great 
advantage both of wind and oars, in order to land 
its loading or crew at the Chapel of the Ferry, un- 
less it were under the miraculous influence which 
carried the image of the Virgin in that direction. 
The communication, therefore, from the east to the 
west bank was only maintained by towing boats 
up the stream, to such a height on the eastern 
side that the leeway which they made during the 
voyage across might correspond with the point at 
which they desired to arrive, and enable them 
to attain it with ease. Hence it naturally hap- 
pened that, the passage from Alsace into Suabia 
being the most easy, the ferry was more used by 
those who were desirous of entering Germany, than 
by travellers who came in an opposite direction. 

When the elder Philipson had by a glance 
around him ascertained the situation of the ferry, 
he said firmly to his son, — “ Begone, my dear 
Arthur, and do what I have commanded thee. ” 

With a heart rent with filial anxiety, the young 
man obeyed, and took his solitary course towards 
the cottages, near which the barks were moored, 
which were occasionally used for fishing, as well 
as for the purposes of the ferry. 

“ Your son leaves us ? ” said Bartholomew to the 
elder Philipson. 

“ He does for the present, ” said his father, 
“ as he has certain inquiries to make in yonder 
hamlet. ” 

“ If they be, ” answered the guide, “ any matters 
connected with your honour’s road, I laud the 
Saints that I can better answer your inquiries 
than those ignorant boors, who hardly understand 
your language. ” 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


339 


“ If we find that their information needs thy 
commentary, ” said Philipson, “ we will request it 
— meanwhile, lead on to the chapel, where my 
son will join us. ” 

They moved towards the chapel, but with slow 
steps, each turning his looks aside to the fishing- 
hamlet; the guide as if striving to see whether 
the younger traveller was returning towards them, 
the father anxious to descry, on the broad bosom 
of the Ehine, a sail unloosed, to waft his son 
across to that which might be considered as the 
safer side. But though the looks of both guide 
and traveller were turned in the direction of the 
river, their steps carried them towards the chapel, 
to which the inhabitants, in memory of the founder, 
had given the title of Hans-Kapelle. 

A few trees scattered around gave an agreeable 
and silvan air to the place ; and the chapel, that 
appeared on a rising ground at some distance from 
the hamlet, was constructed in a style of pleasing 
simplicity, which corresponded with the whole 
scene. Its small size confirmed the tradition that 
it had originally been merely the hut of a peasant ; 
and the cross of fir-trees, covered with bark, at- 
tested the purpose to which it was now dedicated. 
The chapel and all around it breathed peace and 
solemn tranquillity, and the deep sound of the 
mighty river seemed to impose silence on each 
human voice which might presume to mingle with 
its awful murmur. 

When Philipson arrived in the vicinity, Bartho- 
lomew took the advantage afforded by his silence 
to thunder forth two stanzas to the praise of the 
Lady of the Ferry, and her faithful worshipper 
Hans, after which he broke forth into the raptu- 


340 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


rous exclamation, — “ Come hither, ye who fear 
wreck, here is your safe haven ! — Come hither, ye 
who die of thirst, here is a well of mercy open 
to you ! — Come, those who are weary and far- 
travelled, this is your place of refreshment ! ” — 
And more to the same purpose he might have said, 
but Philipson sternly imposed silence on him. 

“ If thy devotion were altogether true, ” he said, 
“ it would be less clamorous ; but it is well to do 
what is good in itself, even if it is a hypocrite who 
recommends it. — Let us enter this holy chapel, 
and pray for a fortunate issue to our precarious 
travels. ” 

The pardoner caught up the last words. 

“ Sure was I, ” he said, “ that your worship is too 
well advised to pass this holy place without im- 
ploring the protection and influence of Our Lady 
of the Ferry. Tarry but a moment until I find 
the priest who serves the altar, that he may say 
a mass on your behalf. ” 

Here he was interrupted by the door of the chapel 
suddenly opening, when an ecclesiastic appeared 
on the threshold. Philipson instantly knew the 
Priest of St. Paul’s, whom he had seen that morn- 
ing at La Ferette. Bartholomew also knew him, 
as it would seem; for his officious hypocritical 
eloquence failed him in an instant, and he stood 
before the priest with his arms folded on his 
breast, like a man who waits for the sentence of 
condemnation. 

“Villain,” said the ecclesiastic, regarding the 
guide with a severe countenance, “ dost thou lead 
a stranger into the houses of the Holy Saints, that 
thou mayst slay him, and possess thyself of his 
spoils ? But Heaven will no longer bear with thy 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


34i 


perfidy. Back, thou wretch, to meet thy brother 
miscreants, who are hastening hitherward. Tell 
them thy arts were unavailing, and that the in- 
nocent stranger is under my protection — under 
my protection, which those who presume to vio- 
late will meet with the reward of Archibald de 
Hagenbach ! ” 

The guide stood quite motionless, while ad- 
dressed by the priest in a manner equally menacing 
and authoritative; and no sooner did the latter 
cease speaking, than, without offering a word either 
in justification or reply, Bartholomew turned round, 
and retreated at a hasty pace by the same road which 
had conducted the traveller to the chapel. 

“ And do you, worthy Englishman, ” continued 
the priest, “ enter into this chapel, and perform 
in safety those devotions, by means of which 
yonder hypocrite designed to detain you until his 
brethren in iniquity came up. — But first, where- 
fore are you alone ? I trust naught evil hath 
befallen your young companion ? ” 

“ My son, ” said Philipson, “ crosses the Rhine 
at yonder ferry, as we had important business to 
transact on the other side. ” 

As he spoke thus, a light boat, about which two 
or three peasants had been for some time busy, 
was seen to push from the shore, and shoot into 
the stream, to which it was partly compelled to 
give way, until a sail stretched along the slender 
yard, and supporting the bark against the current, 
enabled her to stand obliquely across the river. 

“ Now, praise be to God! ” said Philipson, who 
was aware that the bark he looked upon must be 
in the act of carrying his son beyond the reach of 
the dangers by which he was himself surrounded. 


342 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


“ Amen ! ” answered the priest, echoing the 
pious ejaculation of the traveller. “ Great reason 
have you to return thanks to Heaven. ” 

“ Of that I am convinced, ” replied Philipson ; 
“ but yet from you I hope to learn the special 
cause of danger from which I have escaped ? ” 

“ This is neither time nor place for such an 
investigation,” answered the Priest of St. Paul’s. 
“ It is enough to say, that yonder fellow, well 
known for his liypocrisy and his crimes, was 
present when the young Switzer, Sigismund, re- 
claimed from the executioner the treasure of 
which you were robbed by Hagenbach. Thus 
Bartholomew’s avarice was awakened. He under- 
took to be your guide to Strasburg, with the 
criminal intent of detaining you by the way 
till a party came up, against whose numbers 
resistance would have been in vain. But his 
purpose has been anticipated. — And now, ere 
giving vent to other worldly thoughts, whether 
of hope or fear — to the chapel, sir, and join 
in orisons to Him who hath been your aid, 
and to those who have interceded with him in 
your behalf. ” 

Philipson entered the chapel with his guide, 
and joined in returning thanks to Heaven, and the 
tutelary power of the spot, for the escape which 
had been vouchsafed to him. 

When this duty had been performed, Philipson 
intimated his purpose of resuming his journey, to 
which the Black Priest replied, “ That far from 
delaying him in a place so dangerous, he would 
himself accompany him for some part of the jour- 
ney, since he also was bound to the presence of 
the Duke of Burgundy. ” 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


343 


"You, my father! — you! ” said the merchant, 
with some astonishment. 

“ And wherefore surprised ? ” answered the 
priest. “ Is it so strange that one of my order 
should visit a prince’s court? Believe me, there 
are but too many of them to be found there. ” 

“ I do not speak with reference to your order, ” 
answered Philipson, “ hut in regard of the part 
which you have this day acted, in abetting the 
execution of Archibald de Hagenbach. Know you 
so little of the fiery Duke of Burgundy as to 
imagine you can dally with his resentment with 
more safety than you would pull the mane of a 
sleeping lion ? ” 

“ I know his mood well, ” said the priest ; “ and 
it is not to excuse but to defend the death of De 
Hagenbach that I go to his presence. The Duke 
may execute his serfs and bondsmen at his plea- 
sure, but there is a spell upon my life which is 
proof to all his power. But let me retort the 
question — You, Sir Englishman, knowing the 
conditions of the Duke so well — you, so lately 
the guest and travelling companion of the most 
unwelcome visitors who could approach him — you, 
implicated, in appearance at least, in the uproar 
at La Ferette — what chance is there of your 
escaping his vengeance? and wherefore will you 
throw yourself wantonly within his power ? ” 

“Worthy father,” said the merchant, “let each 
of us, without offence to the other, keep his own 
secret. I have, indeed, no spell to secure me from 
the Duke’s resentment — I have limbs to suffer 
torture and imprisonment, and property which 
may be seized and confiscated. But I have had in 
former days many dealings with the Duke ; I may 


/ 


344 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


even say I have laid him under obligations, and 
hope my interest with him may in consequence be 
sufficient, not only to save me from the conse- 
quences of this day’s procedure, but be of some 
avail to my friend the Landamman. ” 

“ But if you are in reality hound to the court of 
Burgundy as a merchant, ” said the priest, “ where 
are the wares in which you traffic ? Have you no 
merchandise save that which you carry on your 
person ? I heard of a sumpter-horse with baggage. 
Has yonder villain deprived you of it ? ” 

This was a trying question to Philipson, who, 
anxious about the separation from his son, had 
given no direction whether the baggage should 
remain with himself, or should be transported to 
the other side of the Rhine. He was, therefore, 
taken at advantage by the priest’s inquiry, to 
which he answered with some incoherence, — • “ I 
believe my baggage is in the hamlet — that is, 
unless my son has taken it across the Rhine with 
him. ” 

“ That we will soon learn, ” answered the priest. 

Here a novice appeared from the vestiary of the 
chapel at his call, and received commands to 
inquire at the hamlet whether Philipson’s bales, 
with the horse which transported them, had been 
left there, or ferried over along with his son. 

The novice, being absent a few minutes, pre- 
sently returned with the baggage-horse, which, 
with its burden, Arthur, from regard to his father’s 
accommodation, had left on the western side of 
the river. The priest looked on attentively, while 
the elder Philipson, mounting his own horse, and 
taking the rein of the other in his hand, bade the 
Black Priest adieu in these words, — “ And now, 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


345 

father, farewell ! I must pass on with my hales, 
since there is little wisdom in travelling with 
them after nightfall, else would I gladly suit my 
pace, with your permission, so as to share the way 
with you. ” 

“ If it is your obliging purpose to do so, as 
indeed I was about to propose,” said the priest, 
“ know I will be no stay to your journey. I have 
here a good horse ; and Melchior, who must other- 
wise have gone on foot, may ride upon your sump- 
ter-horse. I the rather propose this course, as it 
will be rash for you to travel by night. I can 
conduct you to an hostelry about five miles off, 
which we may reach with sufficient daylight, 
and where you will be lodged safelv for vour 
reckoning. ” 

The English merchant hesitated a moment. He 
had no fancy for any new companion on the road, 
and although the countenance of the priest was 
rather handsome, considering his years, yet the 
expression was such as by no means invited con- 
fidence. On the contrary, there was something 
mysterious and gloomy which clouded his brow, 
though it was a lofty one, and a similar expression 
gleamed in his cold grey eye, and intimated se- 
verity and even harshness of disposition. But 
notwithstanding this repulsive circumstance, the 
priest had lately rendered Philipson a considerable 
service, by detecting the treachery of his hypocri- 
tical guide, and the merchant was not a man to be 
startled from his course by any imaginary prepos- 
sessions against the looks or manners of any one, 
or apprehensions of machinations against himself. 
He only revolved in his mind the singularity 
attending his destiny, which, while it was neces- 


346 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


sary for him to appear before the Duke of Bur- 
gundy in the most conciliatory manner, seemed to 
force upon him the adoption of companions who 
must needs be obnoxious to that prince ; and such, 
he was too well aware, must be the case with the 
Priest of St. Paul’s. Having reflected for an 
instant, he courteously accepted the offer of the 
priest to guide him to some place of rest and enter- 
tainment, which must be absolutely necessary for 
his horse before he reached Strasburg, even if he 
himself could have dispensed with it. 

The party being thus arranged, the novice 
brought forth the priest’s steed, which he mounted 
with grace and agility, and the neophyte, being 
probably the same whom Arthur had represented 
during his escape from La Ferette, took charge, at 
his master’s command, of the baggage-horse of 
the Englishman; and crossing himself, with a 
humble inclination of his head, as the priest 
passed him, he fell into the rear, and seemed to 
pass the time, like the false brother Bartholomew, 
in telling his beads, with an earnestness which 
had perhaps more of affected than of real piety. 
The Black Priest of St. Paul’s, to judge by the 
glance which he cast upon his novice, seemed to 
disdain the formality of the young man’s devo- 
tion. He rode upon a strong black horse, more 
like a warrior’s charger than the ambling palfrey 
of a priest, and the manner in which he managed 
him was entirely devoid of awkwardness and 
timidity. His pride, whatever was its character, 
was not certainly of a kind altogether professional, 
but had its origin in other swelling thoughts which 
arose in his mind, to mingle with and enhance 
the self-consequence of a powerful ecclesiastic. 


ANNE OE GEIERSTEIN. 


347 


As Philipson looked on his companion from 
time to time, his scrutinising glance was returned 
by a haughty smile, which seemed to say, “ You 
may gaze on my form and features, but you can- 
not penetrate my mystery. ” 

The looks of Philipson, which were never known 
to sink before mortal man, seemed to retort, with 
equal haughtiness, “ Nor shall you, proud priest, 
know that you are now in company with one 
whose secret is far more important than thine own 
can be. ” 

At length the priest made some advance towards 
conversation, by allusion to the footing upon 
which, by a mutual understanding, they seemed 
to have placed their intercourse. 

“We travel then,” he said, “ like two powerful 
enchanters, each conscious of his own high and 
secret purpose ; each in his own chariot of clouds, 
and neither imparting to his companion the direc- 
tion or purpose of his journey.” 

“ Excuse me, father, ” answered Philipson ; “ I 
have neither asked your purpose, nor concealed my 
own, so far as it concerns you. I repeat, I am 
bound to the presence of the Duke of Burgundy, 
and my object, like that of any other merchant, is 
to dispose of my wares to advantage.” 

“ Doubtless, it would seem so, ” said the Black 
Priest, “ from the extreme attention to your mer- 
chandise, which you showed not above half an 
hour since, when you knew not whether your 
bales had crossed the river with your son, or were 
remaining in your own charge. Are English mer- 
chants usually so indifferent to the sources of their 
traffic ? ” 

“When their lives are in danger,” said Phi- 


348 


ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN. 


lipson, “ they are sometimes negligent of their 
fortune. ” 

“ It is well, ” replied the priest, and again 
resumed his solitary musings ; until another half- 
hour’s travelling brought them to a dorf ', or vil- 
lage, which the Black Priest informed Philipson 
was that where he proposed to stop for the night. 

“ The novice, ” he said, “ will show you the inn, 
which is of good reputation, and where you may 
lodge with safety. For me, I have to visit a peni- 
tent in this village who desires my ghostly offices ; 
— perhaps I may see you again this evening, per- 
haps not till the next morning ; — at any rate, 
adieu for the present. ” 

So saying, the priest stopped his horse, while 
the novice, coming close up to Philipson ’s side, 
conducted him onward through the narrow street 
of the village, whilst the windows exhibited here 
and there a twinkling gleam, announcing that the 
hour of darkness was arrived. Finally, he led the 
Englishman through an archway into a sort of 
courtyard, where there stood a car or two of a 
particular shape, used occasionally by women when 
they travel, and some other vehicles of the same 
kind. Here the young man threw himself from 
the sumpter-horse, and placing the rein in Philip- 
son ’s hand, disappeared in the increasing dark- 
ness, after pointing to a large but dilapidated 
building, along the front of which not a spark of 
light was to be discovered from any of the narrow 
and numerous windows, which were dimly visible 
in the twilight. 


AUTHOR’S NOTES. 


Note I. p. 300. 

There is abundant evidence that in the Middle Ages the 
office of public executioner was esteemed highly honourable 
all over Germany. It still is, in such parts of that country as 
retain the old custom of execution by stroke of sword, very 
far from being held discreditable to the extent to which we 
carry our feelings on the subject, and which exposed the ma- 
gistrates of a Scotch town, I rather think no less a one than 
Glasgow, to a good deal of ridicule when they advertised, 
some few years ago, on occasion of the death of their hang- 
man, that “none but persons of respectable character” need 
apply for the vacant situation. At this day in China, in 
Persia, and probably in other Oriental kingdoms, the Chief 
Executioner is one of the great officers of state, and is as proud 
of the emblem of his fatal duty as any European Lord Cham- 
berlain of his Golden Key. 

“ The circumstances of the strange trial and execution of the 
Knight of Hagenbach are detailed minutely by M. de Barante, 
from contemporary MS. documents ; and the reader will be 
gratified with a specimen of that writer’s narrative. A trans- 
lation is also given for the benefit of many of my kind readers. 

“ De toutes parts on etait accounts par milliers pour assister au 
proems de ce cruel gouverneur, tant la haine etait grande contre lui. 
De sa prison, il entendait retentir sur le pont le pas des chevaux, et 
s’enquerait a son geolier de ceux qui arrivaient : soit pour etre ses 
juges, soit pour etre temoins de son supplice. Parfois le gedlier 
repondait, * Ce sont des etrangers ; je ne les connais pas.’ ‘ Ne sont- 
ce pas,’ disait le prisonnier, ‘des gens assez mal vetus, de haute 
taille, de forte apparence, montes sur des chevaux aux courtes 
oreilles ? ’ et si le ge&lier repondait : ‘ Oui.’ — ‘ Ah ce sont les 
Suisses,’ s’ecriait Hagenbach ; ‘ Mon Dieu, ayez pitie de moi! ’ et il 
se rappelait toutes les insultes qu’il leu r avait faites, toutes ses in- 
solences envers eux. Il pensait, mais trop tard, que c’ etait leur 


35 ° 


AUTHOR’S NOTES. 


alliance avec la maison d’Autriche qui etait cause de sa perte. Le 
4 Mai, 1474, apres avoir ete mis a la question, il fut, k la diligence 
d’ Hermann d’Eptingen, gouverneur pour l’archiduc, amene devant 
ses juges, sur la place publique de Brisach. Sa contenance etait 
ferme et d’un homme qui ne craint pas la mort. Henri Iselin de 
Bale porta la parole au nom d’Hennann d’Eptingen, agissant pour 
le seigneur du pays. II parla a peu pres en ces termes: ‘ Pierre de 
Hagenbach, chevalier, maitre d’hotel de Monseigneur le Due de 
Bourgogne, et son gouverneur dans le pays de SeraHe et Haute 
Alsace, aurait du respecter les privileges reserves par l’acte d’engage- 
ment ; mais il n’a pas moins frotte aux pieds les lois de Dieu et des 
hommes, que les droits jures et garantis au pays. Il a fait mettre 
k mort sans jugement quatre lionnetes bourgeois de Seratte ; il a 
depouille la ville de Brisach de sa juridiction, et y a etabli juges et 
consuls de son choix; il a rornpu et disperse les communautes de la 
bourgeoisie et des metiers ; il a leve des impots par sa seule volonte; 
il a, contre toutes les lois, loge chez les habitans des gens de guerre 
— Lombards, Franyais, Picards, ou Flam an ds ; et a favorise leur 
desordres et pillages. 11 leur a meme connnande d’egorger leurs 
hotes durant la nuit, et avait fait preparer, pour y embarquer les 
femmes et les enfans, des bateaux qui devaient etre submerges 
dans le Rhin. Enfin, lors meme qu’il rejetterait de telles cruautes 
sur les ordres qu’il a re^is, comment pourrait il s’excuser d’avoir 
fait violence et outrage a l’honneur de tant de filles et femmes, et 
meme de saintes religieuses ? ’ 

“ D’autres accusations furent portees dans les interrogatoires ; et 
des temoins attesterent les violences faites aux gens de Mulhausen 
et aux marchands de Bale. 

“ Pour suivre toutes les formes de la justice, on avait donne un 
avocat k l’accuse. ‘ Messire Pierre de Hagenbach,’ dit-il, ‘ ne recon- 
nait d’autre juge et d’autre seigneur que Monseigneur le Due de 
Bourgogne, dont il avait commission, et recevait les commande- 
mens. Il n’avait nul droit de controler les ordres qu’il etait charge 
d’executer; et son devoir etait d’obeir. Ne sait-on pas quelle sou- 
mission les gens de guerre doivent k leur seigneur et maitre ? Croit- 
on que le landvogt de Monseigneur le Due eut a lui remontrer et a 
lui resister ? Et monseigneur n’a-t-il pas ensuite, par sa presence, 
confirme et ratifie tout ce qui avait ete fait en son nom ? Si des 
impots ont ete demandes, e’est qu’il avait besoin d’argent. Pour 
les recueillir, il a bien fallu punir ceux qui se refusaient a payer. 
C’est ce que Monseigneur le Due, et meme l’empereur, quand ils 
sont venus, ont reconnu necessaire. Le logement des gens de guerre 
etait aussi la suite des ordres du Due. Quant a la juridiction de 
Brisach ; le landvogt pouvait-il souffrir cette resistance ? Enfin, dans 
une affaire si grave, ou il y va de la vie, convient-il de produire 


AUTHOR’S NOTES. 


35i 


comme un veritable grief, le dernier dont a parle l’accusateur ? 
Parmi ceux qui ecoutent, y en a-t-il un seul qui puisse se vanter de 
ne pas avoir saisi les occasions de se divertir ? N’est-il pas clair que 
Messire de Hagenbach a seulement profite de la bonne volonte de 
quelques femmes ou filles ; ou, pour mettre les choses au pis, qu’il 
n’a exerce d’autre contraiute envers elles qu’au moyen de son bon 
argent ? ’ 

“ Les juges siegerent long temps sur leur tribunal. Douze 
heures entieres passerent sans que l’affaire fut terminee. Le Sire 
de Hagenbach, toujours ferme et calme, n’allegua d’autres defenses, 
d’autres excuses, que celles qu’il avait donne deja sous la torture — 
les ordres et la volonte de son seigneur, qui etait son seul juge, et 
le seul qui put lui demander compte. 

“ Enfin, k, sept heures du soir, k la clarte des flambeaux, les juges, 
apres avoir declare qu’a eux appartenait le droit de prononcer sur 
les crimes imputes au landvogt, le firent rappeler ; et rendirent 
leur sentence qui le condamna a mort. II ne s’emeut pas davan- 
tage ; et demanda pour toute grace d’avoir seulement la tete tran- 
chee. Huit bourreaux des diverses villes se presentment pour 
executer l’arret. Celui de Colmar, qui passait pour le plus adroit, 
fut prefere. Avant de le conduire a l’echafaud, les seize chevaliers 
qui faisaient partie des juges requircnt que Messire de Hagenbach 
fut degrade de sa dignite de chevalier et de tous ses honneurs. 
Pour lors s’avani^a Gaspard Hurter, heraut de l’empereur ; et il dit : 
4 Pierre de Hagenbach, il me deplait grandement que vous ayez si 
mal employe votre vie mortelle : de sorte qu'il convient que vous 
perdiez non-seulement la dignite et ordre de chevalerie, mais aussi 
la vie. Votre devoir etait de rendre la justice, de proteger la 
veuve et l’orplielin ; de respecter les femmes et les filles, d’honorer 
les saints pretres ; de vous opposer a toute injuste violence ; et, au 
contraire, vous avez commis tout ce que vous deviez empecher. 
Ayant ainsi forfait au noble ordre de chevalerie, et aux sermens que 
vous aviez jures, les chevaliers ici presens m’ont enjoint de vous en 
6ter les insignes. Ne les voyant pas sur vous en ce moment, je 
vous proclame indigne chevalier de Saint George, au nom et a 
l’honneur duquel on vous avait autrefois honore de l’ordre de che- 
valerie.’ Puis s’avanga Hermann d’Eptingen : 4 Puis qu’on vient de 
te degrader de chevalerie, je te depouille de ton collier, chaine d’or, 
anneau, poignard, eperon, gantelet.’ 11 les lui prit et lui en frappa 
le visage, et ajouta : 4 Chevaliers, et vous qui desirez le devenir, 
j’espere que cette punition publique vous servira d’exemple, et que 
vous vivrez dans la crainte de Dieu, noblement et vaillamment, 
selon la dignite de la chevalerie et l’honneur de votre nom.’ Enfin, 
le prevot d’Einsilheim et mareclial de cette commission de juges se 
leva, et s’adressant au bourreau, lui dit : ‘Faites selon la justice.’ 


352 


AUTHOR’S NOTES. 


“Toils les juges montferent h cheval ainsi qu’Hermann d’Ep- 
tingen. Au milieu d’eux marchait Pierre de Hagenbach, entre 
deux pretres. C’etait pendant la nuit. Des torches eelairaient la 
marche ; une foule immense se pressait autour de ce triste cortege. 
Le condamne s’entretenait avec son confesseur d’un air pieux et 
recueilli, mais ferme ; se recommandant aussi aux prieres de tous 
ceux qui l’entouraient. Arrive dans une prairie devant la porte de 
la ville, il monta sur l’echafaud d’un pas assure ; puis elevant la 
voix : — 

“ ‘ Je n’ai pas peur de la mort,’ dit-il ; * encore que je ne 1’atten- 
disse pas de cette sorte, mais bien les armes k la main ; que je plains 
c’est tout le sang que le mien fera couler. Monseigneur ne laissera 
point ce jour sans vengeance pour moi. Je ne regrette ni ma vie, 
ni mon corps. J’etais homme — priez pour moi.’ II s’entretint 
encore un instant avec son confesseur, presenta la tete et re$ut le 
coup.” — M. de Barante, tom. x. p. 197. 

Translation. 

“Such was the detestation in which this cruel governor was 
held, that multitudes flocked in from all quarters to be present at 
his trial. He heard from his prison the bridge re-echo with the 
tread of horses, and would ask of his jailer respecting those who 
were arriving, whether they might be his judges, or those desirous 
of witnessing his punishment. Sometimes the jailer would answer, 

* These are strangers whom I know not.’ — ‘Are not they,’ said the 
prisoner, * men meanly clad, tall in stature, and of bold mien, 
mounted on short-eared horses ? ’ And if the jailer answered in 
the affirmative, * Ah, these are the Swiss,’ cried Hagenbach. ‘ My 
God, have mercy on me ! ’ and he recalled to mind all the insults 
and cruelties he had heaped upon them. He considered, but too 
late, that their alliance with the house of Austria had been his 
destruction. 

“ On the 4th of May, 1474, after being put to the torture, he was 
brought before his judges in the public square of Brisach, at the 
instance of Hermann d’Eptingen, who governed for the Archduke. 
His countenance was firm, as one who fears not death. Henry 
Iselin of Bale first spoke in the name of Hermann d’Eptingen, who 
acted for the lord of the country. He proceeded in nearly these 
terms : — ‘ Peter de Hagenbach, knight, steward of my lord the 
Duke of Burgundy, and his governor in the country of Seratte and 
Haute Alsace, was bound to observe the privileges reserved by act 
of compact, but he has alike trampled under foot the laws of God 
and man, and the rights which have been guaranteed by oath to 
the country. He has caused four worshipful burgesses of Seratte 


AUTHOR’S NOTES. 


353 


to be put to death without trial ; he has spoiled the city of Brisach, 
and established there judges and consuls chosen, by himself ; he 
has broken and dispersed the various communities of burghers and 
craftsmen ; he has levied imposts of his own will ; contrary to 
every law, he has quartered upon the inhabitants soldiers of various 
countries, Lombards, French, men of Picardy and Flemings, and 
. has encouraged them in pillage and disorder ; he has even com- 
manded these men to butcher their hosts during night, and had 
caused boats to be prepared to embark therein women and children 
to be sunk in the Rhine. Finally, should he plead the orders which 
he had received as an excuse for these cruelties, how can he clear 
himself of having dishonoured so many women and maidens, even 
those under religious vows ? * 

“Other accusations were brought against him by examination, 
and witnesses proved outrages committed on the people of Mul- 
hausen, and the merchants of Bale. 

“That every form of justice might be observed, an advocate 
was appointed to defend the accused. ‘ Messire Peter de Hagen- 
bach,’ said he, ‘recognises no other judge or master than my lord 
the Duke of Burgundy, whose commission he bore and whose 
orders he received. He had no control over the orders he was 
charged to execute ; — his duty was to obey. Who is ignorant of 
the submission due by military retainers to their lord and master ? 
Can any one believe that the landvogt of my lord the Duke could 
remonstrate with or resist him ? And has not my lord confirmed 
and ratified by his presence all acts done in his name ? If imposts 
have been levied, it was because he had need of money ; to obtain 
it, it was necessary to punish those who refused payment : this 
proceeding my lord the Duke, and the Emperor himself, when pre- 
sent, have considered as expedient. The quartering of soldiers 
was also in accordance with the orders of the Duke. With respect 
to the jurisdiction of Brisach, could the landvogt permit any resist- 
ance from that quarter ? To conclude, in so serious an affair, — 
one which touches the life of the prisoner, — can the last accusa- 
tion be really considered a grievance ? Among all those who hear 
me, is there one man who can say he has never committed similar 
imprudences ? Is it not evident that Messire de Hagenbach has 
only taken advantage of the good-will of some girls and women, or, 
at the worst, that his money was the only restraint imposed upon 
them ? ’ 

“ The judges sat for a long time on the tribunal. Twelve hours 
elapsed before the termination of the trial. The Knight of Hagen- 
bach, always calm and undaunted, brought forward no other defence 
or excuse than what he had before given when under the torture ; 
viz. the orders and will of his lord, who alone was his judge, and 

vol. I. — 33 


354 


AUTHOR’S NOTES. 


who alone could demand an explanation. At length, at seven in 
the evening, and by the light of torches, the judges, after having 
declared it their province to pronounce judgment on the crimes of 
which the landvogt was accused, caused him to be called before them, 
and delivered their sentence condemning him to death. He betrayed 
no emotion, and only demanded as a favour, that he should be 
beheaded. Eight executioners of various towns presented them- 
selves to execute the sentence ; the one belonging to Colmar, who 
was accounted the most expert, was preferred. 

“Before conducting him to the scaffold, the sixteen knights, 
who acted as judges, required that Messire de Hagenbach should 
be degraded from the dignity of knight, and from all his honours. 
Then advanced Gaspar Hurter, herald of the Emperor, and said : — 
* Peter de Hagenbach, I deeply deplore that you have so employed 
your mortal life, that you must lose not only the dignity and 
honour of knighthood, but your life also. Your duty was to render 
justice, to protect the widow and orphan, to respect women and 
maidens, to honour the holy priests, to oppose every unjust out- 
rage : but you have yourself committed what you ought to have 
opposed in others. Having broken, therefore, the oaths which you 
have sworn, and having forfeited the noble order of knighthood, 
the knights here present have enjoined me to deprive you of its 
insignia. Not perceiving them on your person at this moment, I 
proclaim you unworthy Knight of St. George, in whose name and 
honour you were formerly admitted in the order of knighthood. ’ 
Then Hermann d’Eptingen advanced. ‘ Since you are degraded 
from knighthood, I deprive you of your collar, gold chain, ring, 
poniard, spur, and gauntlet.’ He then took them from him, and, 
striking him on the face, added : — * Knights, and you who aspire 
to that honour, I trust this public punishment will serve as an 
example to you, and that you will live in the fear of God, nobly 
and valiantly, in accordance with the dignity of knighthood, and 
the honour of your name/ At last the provost of Einselheim, and 
marshal of that commission of judges, arose, and addressing him- 
self to the executioner,. — ‘ Let justice be done.’ 

“All the judges, along with Hermann d’Eptingen, mounted on 
horseback ; in the midst of them walked Peter de Hagenbach 
between two priests. It was night, and they marched by the light 
of torches ; an immense crowd pressed around this sad procession. 
The prisoner conversed with his confessor, with pious, collected, 
and firm demeanour, recommending himself to the prayers of the 
spectators. On arriving at a meadow without the gate of the town, 
he mounted the scaffold with a firm step, and elevating his voice, 
exclaimed : — 

“ ‘ I fear not death, I have always expected it ; not, indeed, in 


AUTHOR’S NOTES. 


355 


this manner, blit with arms in my hand. I regret alone the blood 
which mine will cause to be shed ; my lord will not permit this 
day to pass unavenged. I regret neither my life nor body. I was a 
man — pray for me!’ He conversed an instant more with his 
confessor, presented his head, and received the blow. ” — M. de 
Barante, tom. x. p. 197. 










* 



' 

* 







EDITOR’S NOTES. 


(a) p. 3. Laupen and Sempach. The former battle was 
fought in 1339, and resulted in a triumph of the city of 
Berne over the neighbouring noblesse. Sempach (July 9, 1386) 
was the famous victory of Uri, Schwyz, Unterwalden, and 
Lueerne over a much larger force of Austrian chivalry. 
Leopold III. and Arnold von Winkelried fell in this action. 

(b) p. 6. u A large body of whom had long since invaded 
the Forest Cantons.” This foray was called the English, or 
Gugler, war (1374-75). Enguerrand (Ingelram) de Coucy, 
husband of Isabella, daughter of Edward I II., was endeavour- 
ing to gain some towns in the Aargau, which he claimed 
through his mother, Catherine, daughter of Leopold III., who 
fell at Sempach in 1386. Many Englishmen served under 
Enguerrand : they were routed in the Entlibuch, in 1375, by 
the men of Lucerne, Schwyz, Berne, and Unterwalden. 

(c) p. 65. “ The war of Zurich.” Civil war, mainly 

arising from the conquests and ambitions of the Cantons, 
broke out in 1436, and, with intervals, lasted till 1450. 
Zurich renounced the Hapsburg alliance, and most of her lost 
lands were restored by her opponents, the Confederates. 

( d ) p. 86. “ The Chapel of St. Jacob.” Zurich was 

defeated at St. Jacob, on the Sihl, in 1443. There was also a 
battle near the Leper hospital of St. Jacob on the Birs, on 
August 26, 1444. 

(e) p. 100. “ Usum non habeo .” The reference, of course, 

is to David’s refusal of armour before his duel with Goliath. 

(/) p. 113. “The Duke of Burgundy’s possessions in 
Alsatian territory.” A history of these complex matters can- 
not be written in a note to a romance. The reader who is 
anxious for information may consult Mr. Kirk’s Charles the 
Bold,” vol. ii. book iv. ch. iv. (London, 1863). Mr. Kirk 
supplies an interesting defence of Hagenbach, and does not 
believe in a spontaneous popular insurrection, caused by his 


358 


EDITOR’S NOTES. 


tyranny. The intrigues of Louis XI. receive the credit, or 
discredit, of the whole affair, which culminated in the ruin of 
Burgundy. The Swiss declared war “ simply as the strong, 
intelligent, hired bravoes of a foreign potentate, too weak, too 
timid, or too crafty to strike with his own hand.” 

( g ) p. 214. “Double gangers.” This is the appearance 
described and criticised by Mr. Kirk in his “ Secret Common- 
wealth ” (1691) as “ The Co-Walker.” The learned author 
explains that we have all our spiritual shadows in the “ Secret 
Commonwealth ” : it is these which are sometimes seen when 
the real human being is not present. The end of the “ Co- 
Walker” is that he “ goes to his own herd.” Goethe is said 
to have seen his own co-walker, and the same experience 
occurred to a living person of the Editor’s acquaintance, in 
the open air, where no mirror could account for the hallucina- 
tion. Even the sceptical Lucretius admits the existence of 
such apparitions, which he explains by what Kirk calls 
“exuvious fumes.” The passage is not very intelligible, 
because the author’s ideas were not very distinct. 

(i h ) p. 299. “ A tall man, attired in red.” The headsman 

was, in fact, “a short man with a short sword,” the exe- 
cutioner of Colmar (Kirk, “Charles the Bold,” ii. 240). 
Hagenbach was racked four times before his death. “ Schil- 
ling confesses that a general sympathy was excited by Hagen- 
bach’s Christian-like demeanour.” His real name was Peter. 
Mr. Kirk endeavours to “ whitewash ” Hagenbach. As that 
unfortunate hero had “a gaunt countenance deeply caved 
between the jaw-bones, and restless searching blood-shot eyes ” 
(“Vitae SS. Gervasii et Prothasii,” 1506), we may presume 
that his character was unamiable. 


May 1894. 


Andrew Lang. 


GLOSSARY. 


Abye, to pay the penalty of, to 
atone for. 

Aigrette, a plume of feathers 

Alembic, an old chemical ap- 
paratus or vessel, used for 
distilling 

Astucious, astute, shrewd, cun- 
ning. 

Baaren-hauter, a nickname for 
a German private soldier. 

Ban-dog, a large fierce dog. 

Banneret, a standard-bearer. 

Banquette, the walk behind the 
parapet of a fortress. 

Barbican, the outwork defending 
the gate of a fortress. 

Bartizan, a small overhanging 
turret or projecting parapet. 

Brache, a kind of sporting dog. 

Braggadocio, a blusterer, a 
boaster. 

Caftan, a long robe worn by men 
in the East. 

** Cour pleniere,” in ancient 
French history a gathering of 
all a king’s vassals. 

Cresset, a large kind of candle- 
stick for holding a small fire 
or illuminant. 

Dalmatic, dalmatique, a long 
ecclesiastical robe. 

Diet, the national assembly. 

Doomsmen, all who gathered at 
the doom, or great popular 
court of the ancient Scandi- 
navians. 

Dorf, a village. 


Double-ganger, Doppelganger, 
a spectral counterpart of a 
living person. 

Earth-shoot, a landslip. 

Emprise, feat, enterprise. 

Espadon, a long heavy sword. 

“ Fain, to make one,” to please, 
to give pleasure or joy to. 

Faustrecht, the right claimed by 
the petty barons of the Empire 
to wage private warfare. 

Folter-kammer, a torture-cham- 
ber. 

Gammon, a smoked ham. 

Gauds, trinkets, ornaments. 

Gear, business, affair ; property. 

Geierstein, vulture-stone. 

Graffs-lust, the count’s delight. 

Hauberk, a shirt of mail 

Hauptman, a captain. 

Hundred, an old subdivision of 
the English counties. 

Kreutzer, a German copper coin, 
worth one third of a penny 
English. 

Lammer-geier, the bearded vul- 
ture. 

Landamman, the chief magis- 
trate in a Swiss canton. 

Landvogt, a bailiff. 

Lanzknecht, a German merce- 
nary soldier. 

Largesse, a free distribution of 
money. 


360 


C) 2 V 

/ /O 

f *4 & 

cj- jr 

4//V ^ J 

GLOSSARY. 

> )y 


Leaguer, a camp. 

Losel, a slothful person. 

Lyme-hound, a large dog. 

“ Maen Gorsedd,” the stone of 
the British bards. 

Mail, a trunk. 

Mainour, a thing stolen, discov- 
ered in the hands of the thief. 

Malecredence, mistrust. 

Merlin, a kind of hawk, formerly 
trained to hunt game birds. 

Minnesinger, a poet-minstrel of 
mediaeval Germany. 

Montero-cap, a horseman’s scar- 
let cap of fine Spanish cloth 
trimmed with fur. 

Monsco, a Moor of Spain. 

Palmer, a pilgrim to the Holy 
Land. 

** Par amours,” forbidden love. 

Partisan, a kind of pike or hal- 
berd. 

Peltry, skins and furs of wild 
animals. 

Pight, pitched, placed, fixed. 

Ptisan, a decoction of barley. 

Rigadoon, a dance with a pecu- 
liar hopping step. 

“Roba di guadagno,” profitable 
goods. 

Romaunt, a story or tale in verse. 

Saltire-wise, two lines crossing 
one another diagonally like a 
St. Andrew’s cross. 

Samite, a textile made of gold 
cloth or satin. 

Schlaf -trunk, a sleeping-draught. 

Schwarz-bier, black beer. 

Schwarz-reiter, a German mer- 
cenary horse-soldier. 


Seigniory, the right of owner- 
ship vested in a feudal supe- 
rior or lord. 

Shaveling, a priest. 

Soothfast, true, worthy of belief. 

Stoup, a drinking-cup. 

Strappado, a cruel form of mili- 
tary punishment. 

Strick-kind, the child of the 
cord — the prisoner on trial 
before the Vehmic Tribunal. 

Switzer, a native of Switzerland. 

Thane, intermediate between a 
freeman and a noble. 

Treillage, trellis-work. 

Vail, to doff, to lower, to take 
off. 

Verjambt, condemned by the 
Vehmic Tribunal. 

Vestiary, a room for keeping 
vestments. 

Visne, venue, the place where a 
law action can be tried. 

Wapentake, an old subdivision 
of the English counties. 

Warrand, a defender. 

Wassail, ale t>r wine sweetened 
and flavoured with spices. 

Welked, marked with protuber- 
ances or ridges. 

Wimple, a shawl worn by women 
out of doors. 

Wroge, Vroge, lists of offences 
that called for the attention of 
the court. 

Yung-herr, Jung-her, Junker, 
a young man. 

# 

Zechin, a Venetian gold coin, 
worth from 9s. to 10s. 


END OF VOL. I. 

















































































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